During a press conference held at the PAP press centre in Warsaw, it was announced that the Polish nominee for the Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category is Damian Kocur’s Under the Volcano.
The justification for the decision notes that the film “depicts the situation of a Ukrainian family that found itself outside the country after the start of a full-scale war.”
The film shows the emotional state of a young, intelligent Ukrainian family, the Kovalenkos, who find themselves on the last day of their vacation in Tenerife when the war begins. Their return to Kyiv turns out to be impossible. In the blink of an eye, they turn from tourists into refugees.
The state of surprise, uncertainty and loss exacerbates family conflicts. The private drama becomes a universal image of people who, against their will, get involved in big politics. The film, executed in an ascetic form, touches on the most difficult topics of our time – war, migration – leaving the viewer with the feeling that each of us could end up under an awakening volcano.
We observe the events of the film from the point of view of a young girl. Sofia is 16 years old, she has little to worry about. The situation that is happening changes her current perception of reality and significantly affects the dynamics of relationships with others. Unresolved conflicts begin to surface, and the fear experienced by family members is mixed with guilt. There are no shots and bombs in Tenerife, but you can feel the growing conflict from all sides, we read in the description published on the website of the Polish Film Institute, the film was described by the Polish Oscar Committee.
The film’s world premiere took place in September during the Toronto Film Festival. Next week, Under the Volcano in Gdynia will open the 49th Polish Film Festival. The script was written by Damian Kocur and Marta Konażewska. Nikita Kuzmenko was responsible for the cinematography, and Alan Zeer for the editing. The cast includes Ukrainian actors Sofia Berezovskaya, Roman Lutsky, Anastasia Karpienko and Fyodor Pugachev.
The 97th Academy Awards will be held on the night of March 2–3, 2025.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.