At IDFA, Silent Flood by Dmytro Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk won the award for Best Cinematography in the international competition program. The screening at the festival marked the film’s world premiere
The cinematographers of Silent Flood were Ivan Morarash, Oleksandr Korotun, Viacheslav Tsvietkov, and the director himself.
“The jury was moved by the beauty of the images that enhance the beauty of the land, its nature, and its inhabitants. Though shot by four cinematographers, this film nevertheless maintained an impressive unified appearance where every shot is its own canvas,” the IDFA jury stated.
About ‘Silent Flood’
Work on the documentary began in 2021 as a Ukrainian–German co-production. Alongside Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk, the film was shot by Tabor Production.
‘Silent Flood’ tells the story of a pacifist community with ‘unique’ religious beliefs. These people live on the banks of the Dniester River in western Ukraine and lead a peaceful way of life that is gradually disrupted by recurring floods and the russian–Ukrainian war.
This closed community lives by their own, strict rules and is detached from the outside world. For example, they are forbidden to use electricity or modern medicine, forbidden to marry outside the community, and forbidden to attend a regular school or join the army. From time to time, one member of the community opposes the order of such a life and leaves in search of new meanings.
‘When a devastating flood comes under the flag of the russian army, the community unites, losing their comfort. Despite the lack of information due to the absence of electricity, the peasants gradually begin to go against their own rules, connecting to the outside world to confront the enemy’, the description reads.
Another Ukrainian film at the festival is ‘2000 Meters to Andriivka’ by Mstyslav Chernov. The film placed second in the competition for the Audience Award.
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