“Strong as the Earth” is a documentary film about people who, despite war’s horrors, make a life in Ukraine; hold the rear while the military holds the front; and feel personal responsibility for the country.
The artistic image is based on the diary of a woman who survived the occupation in the village of Peremoga, Kyiv region. The diary’s thoughts and emotions are understandable to all Ukrainians. Because we all have one pain. One country for all. And one common goal – victory.
Maryna Krut, a Ukrainian singer and bandurist, reads the diary’s text.
The film tells the stories of different people from different parts of Ukraine:
- It’s about an entrepreneur whose farm was destroyed by 60 rockets, but he found the strength to rebuild it and sow the fields.
- about grandmother who lost her leg while milking cows but learned to dance despite wearing a prosthesis.
- about an orchestra that, despite rocket attacks, doesn’t cancel concerts and instead performs them in shelters.
- about a young girl who built a youth hub three months before the invasion, which was completely destroyed, but she rebuilt it again – this time in the basement.
- about young people who help people who have lost their homes by restoring them.
- about the volunteers who help wounded soldiers and their unwavering spirit.
- about a warehouse that was converted into a gallery and a safe haven during air raids.
- about doctors who were forced to flee their hometown hospital due to constant shelling, but continued to operate in a new city.
This is about how strong we are because we are on Ukrainian land. And this is exactly what pushes us to victory!
“I am a creative sector representative, a media and television personality. And I feel personally responsible for the fact that my country is at war. After a full-fledged invasion, I realized that meaning is more important than form, and content is more important than hype. This is how our project came to be, explains Anna Slyusarenko, the project’s creator and producer. – We talk a lot about our soldiers; this is our new religion, our new faith. They are present in the interest of the country. And we are stronger when we work together. This is exactly what I want to to show to the entire world.
Our story is about the incredible strength that every Ukrainian holds. Everyone contributes in their own way, bringing victory closer. The strength is that we did not come to anyone, that we are on our land, and that we will not leave. This land gives us the courage to fight for it in this way.
In the film, we talk, for example, about a grandmother who lost her leg, underwent prosthetics and rehabilitation in Vienna, she could have stayed there. But she returns to her native Chernihiv region. Imagine she digs a garden with a prosthesis and declares, “Here I will plant garlic because someone will come who will not have anything to eat, so I will pick everything that I grow and feed him.”
Teaser –
The premiere is coming soon.
Creative team of the project:
The project’s creator and producer – Anna Slyusarenko.
Director – Lyudmila Melnyk.
Screenwriter – Zlata Ughrin.
Operator – Viktor Petrenko.
Editing director – Larisa Shabrayka.
Author of the song and singer – Maryna Krut.
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“Strong as the Earth” is a documentary project of the National Interests Advocacy Network “ANTS” with the support of the “Renaissance” International Fund.
