Oscars: Ukraine’s ‘Porcelain War’ Nabs Best Documentary Feature Nomination

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The 2025 Oscar-nominated documentary, “Porcelain War“, which focuses on artists bravely creating amidst war, is of Ukrainian origin.

As a gamer, I’d say: In the heart of Kharkiv, close to the Russian-Ukrainian border, I joined directors Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev on an emotionally gripping journey. We delved deep into the world of artists Anya Stasenko and co-director Leontyev, whose studio became a sanctuary amidst the chaos of invasion and incessant shelling. Amidst the destruction surrounding us, we found solace in creating delicate porcelain figurines, a testament to resilience and creativity in the face of adversity.

In their creative work, Stasenko and Leontyev position delicate porcelain figurines among the wreckage of an ongoing conflict, with Leontyev simultaneously acting as a trainer for a civilian militia who are learning to use weapons in defense against incoming Russian forces.

In 2024, the film titled “Porcelain Wars,” distributed by Picturehouse, was honored with the prestigious U.S. Documentary Competition top prize at Sundance. This acclaimed documentary has been screened extensively across various international film festivals around the world.

In the year 2024, another Ukrainian documentary titled “20 Days in Mariupol” was awarded the Best Documentary accolade at the Oscars. Delighted by this historic achievement, director Mstyslav Chernov marked the first time Ukraine has won an Academy Award.

In my perspective as an ardent admirer, the profound themes that resonate within “Porcelain War” are the artist’s obligation to persist in creating art during the most challenging times and the power of art to infuse grace and humor amidst the gloom, as aptly pointed out by Daniel Feinberg in his review for The Hollywood Reporter.

In the United States, Bellomo was both the writer and editor of an acclaimed documentary, whereas Leontyev, based in Ukraine, serves as a debut director and has been an active artist throughout the project, having previously contributed to it for some time.

The documentary “Porcelain War” will encounter competition in the category of Best Documentary Feature from “Black Box Diaries”, “Shiori Itō’s Diaries”, “No Other Land”, “Soundtrack for a Coup d’Etat”, and “Sugarcane”.

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2025-01-23 19:27