Fragments of Ice is a documentary essay woven from a rare family VHS archive of a Soviet Ukrainian Ballet on Ice star, contrasting the utopian vision of the West with the oppressive Soviet reality. Before the screening there will be a live performance by the Ukrainian International Ballet.
Fragments of Ice as seen by Ukrainian critic Daria Badior:
Beginning as a personal archive project in 2018, the film transformed into a political statement about the transition period of the late 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s. Maria’s parents were dancers in the popular Soviet-Ukrainian Ballet on ice show, touring worldwide. Being abroad, Maria’s dad brought a VHS-camera with him, documenting his journeys and the reality beyond the Soviet Union. Revisiting the tapes, the director reflects on the life in the Soviet Union and its collapse in 1991, and the long-lasting aftermath of colonizing politics of the USSR and Russia.
The distance between the man with a VHS camera and his home, caught on the cusp of an era shift –Cold War vs. post-Cold War, suffocating communism vs. hybrid wild capitalism – provides additional fuel for questioning the reality we all are living in. Are we still stuck in the radical transition which began in the late 20th century? Has the 21st century even begun? Was there an end of the Cold War and the deep separation between “the West” and “the East” of Europe? Fragments of Ice invites us to join the filmmaker as she contemplates on these issues.
The film is dedicated to the memory of Victor Onysko, a Ukrainian film editor whose decision to go away from home in 2022 and to join the Ukrainian army to defend the country, the family, the world, was one of many decisions made by Ukrainian men and women after the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion. Victor, who started to edit the Fragments, died on the frontline in December 2022.
About the speakers
Daria Badior is a film critic, editor, and co-curator of Kyiv Critics’ Week. Works as a journalist for Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Suspilne. Kultura, but has been contributing as a freelancer to Dwutygodnyk, Osteuropa, Kino Raksti, and others. Daria is a co-founder of the Union of Ukrainian Film Critics and a member of the European Film Academy.
About the Ukrainian International Ballet
Ukrainian International Ballet is a foundation created in the Hague by professional Ukrainian ballet dancers during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The aim of UIB is to preserve, create and share the Ukrainian culture through art. The performance consists of several dances that express the diverse spectrum of emotions, feelings, and thoughts carried by the Ukrainian soul—especially when away from home.
About Kyiv Critics’ Week
Kyiv Critics’ Week is one of Ukraine’s most prominent film festivals, showcasing the best of world cinema to local audiences, selected and presented by professional Ukrainian film critics.
Kyiv Critics’ Week x NL: Fuchzhou
Kyiv Critics’ Week x NL: Ukrainian Short Films
Kyiv Critics’ Week x NL: Grey Bees
Kyiv Critics’ Week x NL: U Are the Universe
Kyiv Critics’ Week x NL: Stone Cross
Kyiv Critics’ Week x NL: Fragments of Ice
Speakers
Kyiv Critics Week x NL is made possible with the support of Steunfonds Oekraïense makers, Stichting Droom en Daad, Gemeente Rotterdam, Ukrainian Institute and Embassy of Ukraine.
May 9 – May 11: The best of Ukrainian cinema to local audiences, selected and presented by Ukrainian film critics
From May 9 till May 11, Kyiv Critics’ Week x NL showcases the best of Ukrainian cinema, selected and presented by Ukrainian film critics Daria Badior, Hanna Datsiuk and Serhii Ksaverov. Since February 2022, when Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 6 million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes.
A curated showcase of Ukraine’s most compelling films, exploring the theme ‘Away from Home’
