Poland Selects Film for Oscar 2025: It's About Ukrainian Family During Russian Invasion
Poland has chosen its representative at the 2025 Oscars - the film ‘Under the Volcano’ directed by Damian Kocur. It tells the story of a Ukrainian family at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Deadline writes about it.
The world premiere of the drama took place recently at the Toronto Film Festival,
The script was written by Damian Kotsur and Marta Konazhevska. The film was directed by Mykyta Kuzmenko, known for his work on Pamphyr and The Living Fire. The film stars Ukrainian actors Roman Lutskyi, Anastasia Karpenko, Sofia Berezovska and Fedir Pugachov.
The film tells the story of the Ukrainian Kovalenko family, who are on holiday in Tenerife. Here, they learn about the beginning of a full-scale invasion and are effectively turned from tourists into refugees while staying on the island. The story is told from the perspective of their 16-year-old daughter Sofia.
‘The state of surprise, uncertainty and loss intensifies family conflicts... The film, made in an ascetic form, touches upon the most difficult topics of our time - war, migration - leaving the viewer with the feeling that each of us may be under an awakening volcano... Unresolved conflicts come to the surface, and the fear experienced by family members is mixed with guilt,’ the Polish Oscar Committee notes.
Next week, Under the Volcano will open the 49th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia.
As The Gaze previously reported, Ukraine will be represented at the 2025 Oscars by Philip Sotnychenko's post-Soviet noir La Palisade.