In the aftermath of pro-European Union demonstrations which resulted in the Ukrainian Revolution of 2014 and the ousting of the government, there has been continued tensions on the eastern border. Fighting broke out with Russian-backed anti-government separatists in the Donbass (Donetsk and Luhansk regions). This conflict still rages today with the Kremlin looking to flex its muscles in this historically disputed region.
In the city of Krasnohorivka, caught between the army and the rebels, lives Anna and her four children. As the bombs intermittently rain down around them, they try and carry-on with their lives as best they can. When Myroslava, the eldest daughter, gets into film school it seems only natural that her first film will be about the living in a conflict zone. It becomes a family affair, captured by director Iryna Tsilyk in The Earth is Blue as an Orange.
The Earth is Blue as an Orange is an intimate portrait of a family just getting on with everyday life in unusual circumstances. Sometimes it’s easy to forget what’s happening around them but there’s always something which snaps you back. By allowing them to tell their story, we’re afforded a unique insight into their circumstances. The Earth is Blue as an Orange is a remarkably empathetic piece of documentary filmmaking.
The Earth is Blue as an Orange screens at IDFA.
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