The team of the Ukrainian documentary Songs of a Slowly Burning Land reminded me of the prisoners of war at the Venice Film Festival. On the red carpet of the Venice Film Festival, the film’s team organized an artistic event.
Director Olga Zhurba and the characters in her film appeared in clothes with embroidery depicting the distance from the island of Lido in Italy to the eight places of detention where Russians are holding Ukrainians. Ukrainian artist Alisa Lyubomska developed the format and look of the embroidery. She said that for some people, the embroidery would look like a written letter, while for others, the threads would resemble blood.
I chose hand embroidery, which makes each letter unique and makes the text look like it was written by hand. It’s similar to what people write in letters, which is often the only way to keep in touch with prisoners, even if it’s uncertain. Besides, embroidery is our cultural code,” – she explained.
“Songs of the Slowly Burning Land” is an audiovisual diary filmed during Russia’s first two years of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The film comprises places, people, rare dialogues, expressive sounds, and silence.
Ukrainian brands Tamar Keburia, Kachorovska, Andreas Moskin, Why I, and Knitel provided the clothes for the campaign. In addition to the film crew, several of its characters came to Venice to present the film: art manager Hanna Vasyk, who became a combat medic in June 2023 and is now a recruiter at the General Staff; actor Mykola Gradnov-Savytskyi, who is a member of the Wild Theater and the DAKH Contemporary Art Center, who joined the National Guard as a UAV operator in 2022, was seriously injured in March 2024 and is currently undergoing prosthetics at the Superhumans Center; and Mykhailo Puryshev, a businessman from Mariupol who helped thousands of Ukrainians leave the occupation in March-April 2022.
The documentary takes part in the non-competition program of the 81st Venice Film Festival, which takes place in Italy from August 28 to September 7. The Ukrainian drama Honeymoon, directed by Zhanna Ozirna, also traveled to Italy.
