Olena Siyatovska
The Running Land
Three chapters follow Ukrainian teenagers navigating war's devastation, from forming a rock band in Lithuania to longing for lost homes, preparing for prom, and enduring life near the front line.
SYNOPSIS
Three chapters depict Ukrainian teenagers navigating the devastating realities of war. Their stories converge around a home built from memories, resurrected from ruins, and fortified into a fortress. The boys, forced to flee eastern Ukraine, form a rock band in Lithuania. Guitarist SENYA longs for his grandmother and the bees left behind in Ukraine. After her Kharkiv home is destroyed by war, fourteen-year-old ANNA prepares for prom and creates paintings. In Kherson, a large family endures life near the front line, with children playing football and aiding animals, fortified by their home's walls.
DIRECTOR
Olena Siyatovska
PRODUCER
Viktor Shevchenko
CO-PRODUCER
Ringaile Lescinskiene
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema
COUNTRIES
Lithuania
Ukraine
Olena Siyatovska
OLENA SIYATOVSKA is a film director and artist from Ukraine. She was born in the Czech Republic, grew up in Dnipro, and lives and works in Kyiv. She graduated from the English Philology Department at the National University of Oles Honchar (Ukraine) and studied New Media at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Fine Arts (Poland). Her professional experience includes journalism and editing roles across diverse media. Her documentary film I AM MICHELLE (2022) is the directing debut of Siyatovska. The world premiere of the film took place at the MakeDox Festival 2022.
Production company profile
CONTEMPORARY UKRAINIAN CINEMA (CUC) was founded in 2015 as a filmmakers’ collective and a production company to promote young Ukrainian cinema. The first seven film productions by CUC were made independently of state financing. To date, CUC has produced 13 short films, 2 feature documentaries, and 3 fiction features. CUC's films have been screened at Clermont-Ferrand, Rotterdam, San Sebastián, Warsaw, New Horizons, Palm Springs, and ISFF Sleepwalkers.