John GIANVITO
International Premiere
A poem by Ukrainian - born poet Mieczyslaw Jastrun(1903-1983), survivor of the Nazi-occupation of Poland, haunts the steps of a fleeing refugee. Imagined from afar, history rhymes.
John Gianvito gazes at the gap between the Russia-Ukraine War¡¯s tragedy in reality and the tragedy expressed in the media. The advertisements on Boston streets urge the pedestrians to support Ukraine and soon advertise soft drinks or Cognac. The film is composed of images of a first-person view of walking down the woods. The shots are interrupted by Russian attacks and the footage of the World War II documentaries by Ukrainian director, Aleksandr Dovzhenko. The film finishes with a poem by a Polish author, Mieczyslaw Jastrun. The rush of water beneath the frozen lake is a metaphor for people waiting for the thaw.
John GIANVITO
Born in Staten Island, New York, John Gianvito is a filmmaker and Professor in the Department of Visual & Media Arts at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Retrospectives of his work have been presented at the Vienalle Film Festival, the I Mille Occhi Festival, Cinéma du Réel, and Seoul Independent Documentary Festival.