Friday Harbor Film Festival is delighted to welcome Lopez islanders to our simultaneous screening of Porcelain War on Friday, March 28 at 7 pm. at both the San Juan Island Library and the Lopez Island Library. Now nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, this remarkable film takes viewers on a visually stunning and deeply moving journey into the lives of artists creating beauty amidst the devastation of war. The documentary will be followed by an exclusive prerecorded Q&A with the director, Brendan Bellomo.
ABOUT THE FILM
Amidst the chaos and destruction of the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, three artists defiantly find inspiration and beauty as they defend their culture and their country. In a war waged by professional soldiers against ordinary civilians, Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko, and Andrey Stefanov choose to stay behind, armed with their art, their cameras, and, for the first time in their lives, their guns.
Despite daily shelling, Anya finds resistance and purpose in her art, Andrey takes the dangerous journey to get his young family to safety abroad, and Slava becomes a weapons instructor for ordinary people who have become unlikely soldiers. As the war intensifies, Andrey picks up his camera to film their story, and on tiny porcelain figurines, Anya and Slava capture their idyllic past, uncertain present, and hope for the future.
Under roaring fighter jets and missile strikes, Ukrainian artists Slava, Anya, and Andrey choose to stay behind and fight, contending with the soldiers they have become. Defiantly finding beauty amid destruction, they show that although it’s easy to make people afraid, it’s hard to destroy their passion for living.
Porcelain War is a stunning tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, embodying the passion and fight that only artists can put back into the world when it’s literally crumbling around them. With extraordinary footage filmed by everyday civilians, it is a story far bigger than Ukraine, it’s an unforgettable story about all of us.
BEST OF THE FEST SERIES
Each month through September Best of the Fest presents award-winning documentaries along with Q&As with the films’ directors and subjects. Programs begin at 7 pm. They are offered in collaboration with the San Juan Island Library, the San Juan Island Grange, and the Lopez Island Library. Since they’re on Fridays, they are a great “date night” activity.
Here's the schedule:
Porcelain War – March 28 (San Juan Island Library, Lopez Island Library)
Out There: A National Parks Story – April 18 (SJI Grange/Lopez Island Library)
Wilding – May 16 (SJI Grange/Lopez Island Library)
Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers – June 20 (San Juan Island Library, Lopez Island Library)
A Dream Takes Flight – August 22 (SJI Grange/Lopez Island Library). Special Event! Fly-In at the Friday Harbor Airport on August 23.
Hvaldimir, Conversation with a Spy Whale – September 12 (San Juan Island Library, Lopez Island Library)
Details about all of the Best of the Fest films are available on HERE.
Mark your calendar and plan to view the exceptional Best of the Fest documentaries on either San Juan or Lopez Islands!
FHFF appreciates the 2025 Best of the Fest Series sponsor The Journal of the San Juan Islands!
Comments