Zemlya
Oleksandr Dovzjhenko / SUHH, 1930 / 75 min.
Oleksandr Dovzhenko’s 1930 classic is a lyrical ode to life in the fertile Ukrainian countryside and a call for collectivism, and agriculture according to socialist principles. Nevertheless, the Soviet authorities took umbrage with Dovzjhenko’s cinematographic masterpiece.
In a farming community, the new age dawns in the shape of a tractor. A young farmer called Vasily and a rich farmer’s son, the kulak Khoma, come into conflict when Vasily mows down the boundaries between the fields and this leads to him being killed. Socialist justice triumphs however as Khoma discovers when Vasily’s farming friends embrace collectivism.
String Quartet
The Ukrainian composer Maxim Shalygin wrote a short piece for a string quartet, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine: 'Drop After Drop'. This will be performed live prior to the performance. Shalygin: “Since the first day of the war in Ukraine, a terrible pain has settled inside me. Every time I close my eyes, I want to wake up from this terrible dream… but alas, it is not a dream.”
The film will be accompanied live by the Ukrainian singer Maryana Golovchenko, Pau Sola Masafrets (cello), Geerte de Koe (violin) and Cengiz Arslanpay (woodwinds, electronics and modular synths). And with Anna Antipova (violin) and George Dumitriu (viola) for the performance of the string quartet.
The proceeds of ticket sales will go to the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Centre, the largest Ukrainian film archive.
Details
Director
Oleksandr Dovzjhenko
Production year
1930
Country
SUHH
Original title
Zemlya
Length
75 min.
Language
live music
Subtitles
ENG
Format
DCP
Part of
Kino Ukraïna
This month, Eye is screening ten films by filmmakers who were born or who work (or have worked) in Ukraine, a country that ever since the Maidan Revolution has been fighting for recognition of its unique history, language and culture.
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