On March 12, in celebration of March 11’s Day of Restoration of Lithuania’s Independence and in support of Ukraine’s fight for freedom and sovereignty, Scandinavian House and the Consulate General of Lithuania in New York present a screening of Iryna Tsilyk’s The Earth is Blue as an Orange. A joint Ukrainian-Lithuanian production about family and filmmaking within a war zone, the film has been recently hailed as “a documentary in which the roles of filmmaker, viewer and subject are as inextricably fused as life and art” (Variety). The in-house presentation at Scandinavia House will be accompanied by a virtual screenings from March 11-18; click here for details.

Single mother Anna and her four children live in the front-line war zone of Donbas, Ukraine. While the outside world is made up of bombings and chaos, the family manage to keep their home as a safe haven, full of life and full of light. Every member of the family has a passion for cinema, motivating them to shoot a film inspired by their own life during a time of war. The creative process raises the question of what kind of power the magical world of cinema could have during times of disaster. How can we picture war through fiction? For Anna and the children, transforming trauma into a work of art is the ultimate way to stay human. (Ukraine, 2020. 74 min. In Ukrainian with English subtitles)

The screening will take place at Scandinavia House in Victor Borge Hall. All attendees are required to present proof of vaccination upon arrival in compliance with New York State government; read more here. Attendees are required to follow all Scandinavia House safety protocols, including wearing masks during the program and observing social distancing rules in signage. Please read our full safety protocols here.

About the Director

Writer/Director Iryna Tsilyk graduated from Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinematography and Television named by Karpenko-Kary in TV directing in 2005. Her previous short fiction and documentary films were presented and awarded at various international film festivals. Tsilyk has additionally been working as a writer. Some of her works have been translated into various languages and presented at different international literary festivals.

Support

Support for this film has been provided by the Consulate General of Lithuania in New York.