I was a little nervous about my Ukrainian: the director was impressed by the linguistic atmosphere in Odesa

Filmmaker Lada Kopytova, who currently lives in the UK, shared the details of her new short film Earth, which she is working on, and mentioned the Odesa festival as a special event in her career.

She spoke about this in an interview with Intent.

The film lasts about 12 minutes and is based on the author's personal experience, in particular, on the story of her grandmother, who at the age of 72 was forced to leave Ukraine because of the war and move to London. The story centers on an elderly Ukrainian refugee, Valentyna, who is detained during customs control at the British airport. The reason is a jar of Ukrainian soil she is trying to bring with her.

"This story is more metaphorical, although it almost happened in reality. The film is made in the genre of magical realism. It's a collective image of both my grandmother and my own experience of moving," the director explained.

Kopytova emphasized that today, in times of war, this topic is especially relevant, because everything we feel now is very much tied to the territory. To the land as roots, home, and as a metaphor for everything we leave behind but carry in our hearts."

The Ukrainian director also shared fond memories of her visit to Odesa for the film festival, which became an important milestone in her career.

In April 2023, Kopytova presented her work live for the first time at the No Name Film Festival in Odesa. This festival, which took place after the full-scale invasion, became a symbol of her return to the Ukrainian cultural space.

She noted that the festival brought together artists from different cities, including Kyiv, and impressed her with the level of films presented and the atmosphere of community. Odesa left her with not only creative impressions, but also a sense of connection to her wartime film career.

"And everyone in Odesa spoke very clear Ukrainian, which made me a little nervous about my Ukrainian at the time. And there were a lot of creative people around, a lot of artists, and the films were of a very high level, all super different," she recalled.

Ірина Глухова