Directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev (Ukraine, Australia, and USA, 2024, 87 min.). Ukranian, English, and Russian with English subtitles.

Amid 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, Stasenko finds resistance and purpose in her art, Stefanov takes the dangerous journey to get his young family to safety abroad, and Leontyov becomes a weapons instructor for ordinary people who have become unlikely soldiers. As the war intensifies, Stefanov picks up his camera to film their story and, by creating tiny porcelain figurines, Stasenko and Leontyov capture their idyllic past, uncertain present, and hope for the future.

Porcelain War has garnered a host of awards from international festivals, including the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance 2024; and has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 97th Academy Awards.

“A beautifully rendered portrait of Ukraine’s artist-warriors.…a somber, steadfast argument for art’s life-giving properties.” —Guardian

Watch the trailer.