Beginning March 11, in celebration of the 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 virtual screenings of Iryna Tsilyk’s The Earth is Blue as an Orange, with all ticket sales and donations going to support relief efforts in Ukraine. 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). Virtual screenings of this film are available in the U.S. only. *This program has now been extended through March 27.*

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)

Director Iryna Tsilyk joined us in March for a short introduction discussing why she was touched by the family pictured in the film, while addressing the invasion and occupation now taking place in sovereign Ukraine and what she sees as the strength and endurance of her people. (See the introduction in the video on the right.)

Virtual Screenings will take place through March 27, and will be available for viewing on a virtual cinema screening platform throughout this period. To download viewing instructions and an FAQ, please click here.

Introduction by Iryna Tsilyk

Trailer

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