º»¹® ¹Ù·Î°¡±â ¸Þ´º ¹Ù·Î°¡±â

15th DMZ Docs(2023)

I AM DOCU



I Did Not Want to Make a War Film

Nadia PARFAN

  • Ukraine, USA
  • 2023
  • 17min
  • 12 +
  • DCP
  • color

Asian premiere

Synopsis

Russia¡¯s full-scale invasion found the Kyiv-based director Nadia Parfan in a small Bedouin village in the Middle East. It was warm, safe, and unbearably far from home. There, the director had a prophetic dream. She decided to return to Kyiv, where the hostilities were still unfolding. Despite the condemnation of her loved ones and the long journey, she finally managed to cross the threshold of her home. But home itself has now become forever different. 

Review

 Nadia Parfan, the director, and her husband, who annually left Central Asia to escape the cold and return to their homeland in Ukraine, were unable to do so in 2022 even after enduring the entire winter abroad. Frustrated by the helplessness of being unable to do anything except watch the news from outside their homeland, Nadia ultimately returned to Ukraine and picked up the camera. What motivated her, who used to leave her homeland to avoid the winter, to turn towards her homeland during its most perilous and challenging times? The camera captures her face, revealing the seasons of the Ukrainian land, where home is no longer a place to return to. In her face, the inevitable sadness and fear are etched deeply. The camera unveils Nadia's face as a reflection of the Ukrainian seasons, showcasing the place she can no longer avoid, carrying an unfathomable weight of sorrow and trepidation.

Director

  • Nadia PARFAN

    Nadia Parfan is a Kyiv-based film director, writer, producer and film programmer. Nadia¡¯s debut fictional short It¡¯s A Date (2023) was awarded a special jury mention at the International Film Festival Berlinale.

Credit