'Porcelain War' Captures the Lives of 3 Ukrainian Artists Amid a Russian Invasion

Ukrainians Slava Leontyev and his wife Anya Stasenko were partners in art and, eventually, life. That didn’t change when Russia invaded their country in February 2022. They remain partners in life, but now the specter of death now hangs over them much sooner than they ever expected.

Slava is a Ukrainian Special Forces soldier who joined the fight against the Russian invasion, serving primarily as a weapons instructor. Like thousands of other Ukrainian citizens, Slava, Anya and fellow artist Andrey Stefanov stayed in Ukraine to train and fight the Russians in an effort to preserve their homes and culture. Before this training of ordinary Ukrainian civilians to use weapons against their occupiers, Slava and Anya were both artists, painting ornate porcelain figures, among other works.

To preserve their humanity, they decided to continue producing art amid the chaos and destruction of constant shelling and seemingly endless war by turning on their cameras. What they captured is the subject of the critically acclaimed new documentary “Porcelain War.”

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv officially stood up its Territorial Defence Forces, a previously unofficial reserve component of its armed forces composed of civilian volunteers. Within weeks, more than 100,000 Ukrainians (and many foreign nationals) signed up to become unlikely soldiers in the defense of their homeland. Although some, like Slava Leontyev, were already veterans or part-time reservists, most of the new recruits were largely untrained.

Since then, TDF troops have been part of nearly every major operation against Russian forces. They conduct frontline missions as well as special operations. In territory occupied by the Russians, they conduct partisan warfare such as espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance missions. So many civilians joined the TDF that many units had to stop accepting volunteers because they’d reached their operational limits.

“Ukraine is like porcelain,” Slava says in Ukrainian. “Easy to break, but impossible to destroy.”

While Slava and Anya stay put to aid in the defense of Ukraine, Andrey makes a perilous journey to usher his young family to safety outside the country and also documents the group’s wartime trials and exploits.

As the war ravages cities like Kharkiv, Kherson and Bakhmut, the three artists cling to their passion for life, with and without their weapons. Jets roar through the skies and artillery shells fall to Earth while the three filmmakers continue to seek and find beauty in their homeland.

The film is a visually stunning, behind-the-lines look at how average citizens of Ukraine have adapted in the face of (or joined the fight against) Russia’s invasion of their homeland. Produced by Academy Award and Emmy-winner Paula DuPré Pesmen, it is one of the most lauded documentary features of the year, winning some 30 film festival accolades, including the 2024 Sundance Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary.

“Porcelain War” will open in theaters in 2024, beginning on Nov. 22 in New York and on Nov. 29 in Los Angeles, followed by a rollout across North America. For more information, visit the film’s website or follow it on Instagram.

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