Mariupol Documentary Wins Top Award at Visions du Réel Festival
Ukrainian director’s, Zoya Laktionova’s “Ashes Settling in Layers on the Surface”, a deeply personal portrayal of family life in wartime Mariupol, has won the Eurimages Co-production Development Award at Visions du Réel’s industry section, VdR–Industry, The Gaze reports, citing Variety.
The €20,000 ($22,000) award, one of the Swiss documentary festival’s most prestigious honors, supports international co-productions in the early stages.
The film blends personal archives, historical documents, and contemporary footage to reconstruct the life of one family amidst the cycle of destruction and restoration in Mariupol.
Produced by 2Brave Productions (Ukraine) and Cinéphage(France), the jury praised it as “a story that celebrates an ambitious artistic vision emerging from a deeply personal invitation to explore a modern industrial fairytale shaped by lived experiences, the physical memories of a city that is political, intimate, and imagined at the same time.”
The Eurimages Co-Production Award is regarded as one of the most prestigious industry honors at Visions du Réel, supporting early-stage international co-productions.
Mariupol, a city in Eastern Ukraine currently under Russian occupation, endured widespread destruction from Russian shelling in the spring of 2022. According to Human Rights Watch, the estimated death toll is around 10,000.
As The Gaze previously reported, Ukrainian film “20 Days in Mariupol” by Mstyslav Chernov has recently gained international recognition, winning both an Oscar and a BAFTA for his, which was awarded Best Documentary at both ceremonies.