The film ‘Songs of Slow Burning Earth’ by Ukrainian director Olha Zhurba has received two nominations at the European Film Awards, often referred to as the European ‘Oscars’. In particular, the film will compete for the top prize in the European Film category
‘Songs of Slow Burning Earth’ tells the story of the first two years of russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.
Among the other nominees for European Film are ‘It Was Just an Accident’ by Jafar Panahi (winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes), ‘Sentimental Value’ by Joachim Trier (Cannes Grand Prix), ‘Sirât’ by Oliver Laxe, ‘Sound of Falling’ by German director Mascha Schilinski, and ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ by Kaouther Ben Hania (winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival).
The film by Olha Zhurba has also been nominated in the European Documentary category.
You can view the full list of nominees on the official awards website.
About ‘Songs of a Slow Burning Earth’
‘Songs of a Slow Burning Earth’ by Olha Zhurba covers two years of the full-scale war — ‘from the mass evacuations at the start of the invasion to a gradual immersion in the everyday reality of war’. The film explores how wartime experiences become normalized within society and how they transform over time, telling stories of people, their lived experiences, and specific phenomena of the russian–Ukrainian war.
The film premiered in the out-of-competition program of the Venice Film Festival, dedicated to documentary cinema.
