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15th DMZ Docs(2023)

I AM DOCU



One Aloe, One Ficus, One Avocado and Six Dracenas

Marta SMERECHYNSKA

  • France, Ukraine
  • 2022
  • 8min
  • G
  • DCP
  • color

Asian premiere

Synopsis

What to take, what to leave? How important are material possessions when you¡¯re trying to save your life? Packages from Ukraine – filled with everything and nothing – wait patiently under a bridge to be found, while a voice stirs memories of frivolous and treasured personal effects, in an apparent heart-breaking farewell letter to Kyiv. 

Review

 Expressions embodying an event involve diversity, even if it is a war full of anger, hospitality, and grief. When the screen opens, the audience sees dog cages, videotapes, washing machines, and boxes wrapped in tape. The audience hears the voice of a woman, and the gradual close-up shot shows hundreds of boxes and names of Ukrainian cities. The woman¡¯s voice talks about belongings she had to leave in Kyiv. There is also a shot where people find anonymous items and leave to say goodbye to their homes. The film by Marta Smerechynska describes the aftermath of the Ukraine War in the most sentimental and poetic manner.   

Director

  • Marta SMERECHYNSKA

    Marta Smerechynska is a documentary filmmaker and actress. After graduating from I. K. Karpenko-Kary University in Kyiv in 2019, she was a participant in documentary directing programs at L¡¯Université d¡¯été at La Femis in Paris and the Polish-French Film Academy Kinographe. Marta¡¯s documentary feature debut Diary of a Bride of Christ premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival 2022. Currently, she is pursuing a Doc Nomads Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree.

Credit