A film documenting the early days of the 2022 Russian invasion in Ukraine is showing this Friday at the Carmel International Film Festival. Ahead of the screening, KAZU’s Ngozi Cole spoke to the director, Iryna Pravylo.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
NGOZI COLE: In a scene from Flowers Beyond the Dark, two artists, Natalia and Serhiy in Bucha, talk about how the grimness of war has impacted them. Kyiv-based director Iryna Pravylo says the world shouldn't turn away from these atrocities.
IRYNA PRAVYLO: Ukrainians live with this reality every day. So, to soften it would feel untrue. While filming, it was critically important not only to capture historical moments but also to find ways of rethinking it, to ask deeper questions, and to search for answers through cinematic language. That's why we used the image of Flowers Beyond the Dark. It's about finding symbols of life, even when surrounded by destruction.
NC: How did you get your subjects in the story to talk about difficult things that happened to them?
IP: They (the subjects) all had the same demand — justice, and they wanted their stories to be heard. My job as a director was to listen deeply and let them speak in their own rhythm and create space where they felt respected and protected.
For example, when we were working with Natalia, I understood her story. It's a really difficult story that she went through because I didn't know exactly what was going on during the occupation. And I gently asked her if she was willing to share her story, and thankfully, she said yes.
And at first it was very difficult for both of us because she was speaking and she was crying, and I was crying too because it felt like a shared experience. Of course, I wasn't under the occupation, but I understood what she was going through at that moment. It was difficult, but later it became clear that her confession had a healing effect on everyone.
NC: What are you hoping that the audience will walk away with after watching the documentary?
IP: I think that the most important thing is to understand that our nation,
Ukraine is still facing a century-long genocide inflicted first by the Russian Empire, then the Soviet Union, and now Russia.Ukrainian filmmaker Iryna Pravylo
The difference now is that the world is watching it online. Russia is not only attacking our land, it's attacking universal human values, freedom, justice, dignity, and the right to live. The events in Ukraine have become a turning point. I think that people now see more clearly what is right and what is wrong, where is black and where is white.
But at the same time, people from around the world are not just witnesses to what is happening. They are witnesses to history being made. This project is not just about recording or reflecting. It is also about creating something that will influence how future generations understand this war, so that the truth cannot be twisted or forgotten, and to make sure humanity does not fall victim again to lies in propaganda.
Flowers Beyond the Dark will be screening at the Founders Theatre at the Golden Bough Playhouse on October 3rd as part of the Carmel International Film Festival. KAZU is a media sponsor.
