Under The Volcano
A Film By Damian Kocur
2024 / Poland / 102 Min / In Ukrainian And English With English Subtitles
LOGLINE
A blended Ukrainian family spends the last day of their vacation in Tenerife, Spain. When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine strands them on the island, they must contend with isolation, duty, fear… and each other.
SYNOPSIS
‘Under the Volcano’, Polish director Damian Kocur’s second feature, tells the story of a Ukrainian family spending the last day of their holiday in Tenerife, Spain. They do not know yet that the next day their life would completely change. Once at the airport, their flight is canceled: Russia has invaded Ukraine. Trapped on the island, overnight the tourists become refugees.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
None of us yet know how the conflict in Ukraine will end. Yet, we very well recognise the place we are in. A mix of uncertainty, fear of tomorrow, and an emotional rollercoaster. As a Pole I experience this situation in a very particular way - all this is happening beyond the eastern border of my country, where our Western sense of security can be dangerously deceptive. However, we certainly do not experience the situation in the way Ukrainians do. They feel fear, concern for the health and life of their loved ones, and uncertainty about what tomorrow may bring. But the film somehow manages to bridge that gap.
The question is ‘Are we really safe’? The world has never been as close to a ‘volcanic eruption’ as it is now, although we all fall asleep with the certainty that the eruption will not happen in our lifetime.
Unresolved social conflicts and climate change are left to be dealt with by the next generation. I sense that we all kind of get this feeling at some level because the tension and threat of conflict is palpable in every part of the world. My film is about just how apparent our security is, and how quickly, overnight, we can go from being tourists to refugees, regardless of where you are from or who you are. Here no shots are heard and no bombs are falling. The sun is shining and the sea is blue but the war rages on inside them. With the overwhelming feeling of abstract duty that from fathers, sons, and boyfriends they have to become soldiers overnight despite being wholly unprepared for it.
No one truly is. How can you be? How can someone who struggles with navigation during a family trip be able to navigate tanks on the front line? They battle with the feeling of guilt that they are not there in their home city of Kyev instead. The inner guilt contrasts with the idyllic picture of the perfect holiday location. This clash leads to the fact that family relationships begin todeteriorate and old unresolved conflicts explode again like a dormant volcano.
PRODUCERS
MIKOLAJ LIZUT
Producer
Born in Warsaw. Graduate of the Andrzej Wajda Master Film School of Film Directing, playwriter, producer, film and theatre director, and journalist. Director and producer of “The Writers. A short series” for Canal+ Poland, which was included in the selection of Canneseries Festival 2020. In 2021, at the international Marseille Web Fest in France, he won the award for Best Director. He is also the author of several plays staged in Polish theatres. For over 20 years he was a renowned columnist for Gazeta Wyborcza. He created and managed music radio stations Radio Roxy and Rock Radio. He has created numerous television productions, predominantly documentary, feature, edutainment series, music videos, as well as theatrical performances. For ten years he has been managing two production houses - Kombinat Artystyczny Tonight and Lizart Film. In 2022, he produced the Polish version of the global hit series, “Call My Agent”.
AGNIESZKA JASTRZEBSKA
Producer
Journalist, TV reporter, and entrepreneur, Agnieszka is Poland’s most renowned show business expert, with 25 years of experience working in mass media, both in the press and television. She worked as a press journalist in leading lifestyle and people magazines. Former Editor-in-Chief of the people magazine ‘Gala’, she also developed the launch of the Polish version of ‘In Touch’ magazine. For 10 years she hosted and produced a live daily showbiz segment for the morning show “Good Morning TVN” on the biggest Polish TV channel TVN Warner Bros. Discovery Polska. In 2014 she founded and managed MediaPop - the largest independent online publishing company in Poland with 25m UU monthly, sold in 2022 to Wirtualna Polska.
DIRECTOR
DAMIAN KOCUR
Director, screenwriter
Director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. PhD student and professor at the Łódź Film School.
He is the author of several internationally awarded short films. His debut feature film ‘Bread and Salt’ (2022) was awarded The Special Jury Prize in the Orrizonti competition at the Venice Film Festival 2022 and also awarded at numerous film festivals as Cairo IFF, Antalya IFF, Cottbus IFF, OFF Camera Festival in Cracov and many more. His last short film ‘As it was’ was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2023. ‘Under the Volcano’ is his second feature film. Tells the story of a Ukrainian family spending the last day of their holiday in Tenerife, Spain. Once at the airport, their flight is canceled: Russia has invaded Ukraine. Trapped on the island, the tourists become refugees.
CREW
NIKITA KUZMENKO
Cinematographer
Was born, raised, and educated in Kyiv, Ukraine. After graduating with a master’s degree in Kyiv National I.K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University, Nikita continues his education in Andrzej Wajda Master Film School during Gaude Polonia scholarship. In 2013 together with Ukrainian director Ostap Kostyk and cinematographer Olexandr Pozdnyakov, Nikita started filming the documentary Living Fire - which won the Special Jury award at Hot Docs Film Festival (Toronto/Canada) and Best Cinematography at the Golden Dzyga National Film Awards. In 2016, Nikita started his education at the Global Cinematography Film Institute in Los Angeles. After 3 years in the Cinematography department, he started working successfully on global brand commercials and music videos in the United States. Worked with artists: Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, Jennifer Lopez. In September 2022 he won best cinematography at MTV VMA for his work for Harry Styles ‘As it Was’ music video. In May 2022 Nikita’s feature debut ‘Pamfir’ was premiered at the Directors Fortnight competition at Cannes Film Festival. In December same year ‘Pamfir’ won the best cinematography award at the Raindance Film Festival in London and Golden Dzyga’s best cinematography from the Ukrainian Film Academy. In October 2023 Nikita was awarded Best Cinematographer at UKMVA London.
ALAN ZEJER
Editor
Graduate of Film Editing from the Polish Film School in Łódź. A two-time recipient of the Ministry of Culture award for outstanding achievements, Alan’s exceptional talent as an editor has been widely recognized. In 2022, he was honored with the Jan Machulski Award for Best Editing for the film „When the House Turns,” directed by Maria Ornaf. Alan’s expertise spans across various genres,
including feature films, documentaries, music videos, commercials, and experimental works. Notable works in Alan’s portfolio include, among others, editing the film „Lessons of Love” (directed by Katarzyna Mateja and Małgorzata Goliszewska), nominated for the Polish Film Award. He also co-edited the film „First Last Summer” (directed by Nastazja Gonera), which received a nomination for the Student Academy Award. Alan was the editor for „Bread and Salt” (directed by Damian Kocur), which received a Special Jury Prize in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival. Alan’s contribution extends to other significant films and series, including „A Heart of Love” (2017, directed by Łukasz Ronduda), „Ondine” (2019, directed by Tomasz Śliwiński), „The Office PL” (2021-2022, Canal+ series, directed by Maciej Bochniak), and „Absolute Beginners” (2023, Netflix series, directed by Kamila Tarabura and Katarzyna Warzecha).
MARTA KONARZEWSKA
Screenwriter
Screenwriter for film and theatre, writer and activist, script doctor for TV series author of various culture texts. In the film industry, she worked with such renowned names as Agnieszka Holland, Agnieszka Glińska, Olga Chajdas, Damian Kocur, Łukasz Ronduda. Co-writer along with Damian Kocur of his debut film ‘Bread and Salt’ which gained numerous film festival awards.
CAST
SOFIIA BEREZOVSKA
Born in 2008, Sofiia is a teenager who lives in Kyiv, Ukraine. At first, she was reluctant to participate in ‘Under the Volcano’ but finally she made it in the leading role in Damian’s Kocur film.
ANASTASIA KARPENKO
Born in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2006 she graduated from Kyiv National I. K.Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University, and since 2004 is an actress at the Kyiv Academic Theatre of Drama and Comedy. She is one of the most renowned film, TV, and theatre actresses in Ukraine. For her leading role in ‘How is Katia’ film she won the Best Actress award at the 75th Locarno International Film Festival as well as the Special Jury Prize Cine+
ROMAN LUTSKYI
Born in 1986 in Bondarov, studied at Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University Institute of Art. Since 2008 he has been an actor at Ivano-Frankivsk National Drama Theatre. Works in theatre, TV and film. Starred in numerous films presented at film festivals such as ‘Reflection’ 2021 presented at the 78th Venice International Film Festival or ‘Honeymoon’ which will be premiered during this year’s Venice International Film Festival.
Directed by Damian Kocur
Written by Damian Kocur & Marta Konarzewska
Director of Photography Nikita Kuzmenko
Edited by Alan Zejer
Set Design Aleksandra Markowska
Costumes Magdalena Sekrecka
Sound Design Serhii Avdieiev
Production Manager Konrad Wroblewski
Produced by Mikolaj Lizut & Agnieszka Jastrzebska
Production Lizart Film
Co-Produced by Hawk Art, MGM S.A., TVP S.A.
Co-Financed by Polish Film Institute
International Sales Salaud Morisset