Doors 7:30p
Program 8:00p

UnionDocs
352 Onderdonk Ave
Ridgewood, NY

UnionDocs is thrilled to co-present Photophobia by Ivan Ostrochovský and Pavol Pekarčík in partnership with the 7th edition of Echoes of Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (IDFF) and the Czech Center in NYC.

In the spring of 2022, Kharkiv metro is transformed into an experimental laboratory. Everything is reversed here – life and safety below, death and destruction above. In the middle of it all, children grow up like flowers in a greenhouse. Without fresh air, without day and night, the world has frozen into a surreal landscape that is more like a movie or a dream. This lyrical portrait of life in the midst of war, included as a special screening at the Venice Film Festival, captures a society in limbo. On the surface, the apocalypse rages, the world we know turns into a memory, a past, a mirage, a waiting room without time, and in its place there is nothing.

“That was why we decided to find something most closely approaching ‘ordinary life’ and preserve it to the best of our abilities: to find a moment of genuine humanity at a time of devastating horror.”
Quote from Giornate degli Autori.

We’re delighted that Co-director Pavol Pekarčík will be in attendance for a conversation following the film.

Program

Photophobia

71 mins, 2021

In the spring of 2022, Kharkiv metro is transformed into an experimental laboratory. Everything is reversed here – life and safety below, death and destruction above. In the middle of it all, children grow up like flowers in a greenhouse. Without fresh air, without day and night, the world has frozen into a surreal landscape that is more like a movie or a dream. This lyrical portrait of life in the midst of war, included as a special screening at the Venice Film Festival, captures a society in limbo. On the surface, the apocalypse rages, the world we know turns into a memory, a past, a mirage, a waiting room without time, and in its place there is nothing.

“That was why we decided to find something most closely approaching ‘ordinary life’ and preserve it to the best of our abilities: to find a moment of genuine humanity at a time of devastating horror.” — Giornate degli Autori.

Program Duration: 71 mins

Bios

Ivan Ostrochovský (1975), Slovak director, screenwriter and producer, graduated from the Department of Audiovisual Studies and Documentary Directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. He made his documentary debut Velvet Terrorists (IDFF Ji.hlava 2013) together with his classmate Pavel Pekarčík. His feature films Goat and Servants competed at the Berlinale.

Pavol Pekarčík (1972), Slovak director and screenwriter, studied documentary directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. He collaborated with Ivan Ostrochovský on the short films Minor Evil, The Wind and Karakorum before making their debut together (IDFF Ji.hlava 2013). His independent film Silent Dayscompeted in the Eastern Promises section at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.