Iryna Tsilyk, a Ukrainian filmmaker, was presented a directing award for her documentary “The Earth is blue as an orange” about civilians surviving Russia’s war in Donbas at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
During the Feb. 1 ceremony in Park City, Utah, juror Eric Hynes said the prize was given to “a filmmaker exercising an elegant sense of restraint,” according to the festival’s website.
“Tsilyk took the chance to say that the prize was so important for her country, Ukraine, which is at war—as depicted in her film,” the organizers also said.
“She said that she is so happy to have a chance to make a statement with her film: “Make love, make art, not war.”
The documentary tells the story of the everyday life of a mother and her four kids living in a small town in Donbas amid never-ending hostilities — and trying to make an amateur movie about themselves.
“Single mother Anna and her four children live in the front-line war zone of Donbas, Ukraine,” the film’s team says of the movie’s plot.
“While the outside world is made up of bombings and chaos, the family is managing to keep their home a safe haven, full of life and full of light. Every member of the family has a passion for cinema, motivating them to shoot a film inspired by their own life during a time of war. The creative process raises the question of what kind of power the magical world of cinema could have during times of disaster. How to picture war through fiction? For Anna and the children, transforming trauma into a work of art is the ultimate way to stay human.”
“The Earth is blue as an orange” is the first Ukrainian movie to participate at the Sundance Film Festival and also Tsilyk’s debut in feature filming. In an emotional response on her Facebook page after receiving the prize, the director referred to her victory as “one of the happiest days” of her life.
The documentary will also be screened at the 70th Berlin Film Festival taking place between Feb. 20 and March 1.
