I Did Not Want to Make a War Film

March 23, 2023 | Ukraine

Join us for a special screening of two films directed by Nadia Parfan: The Heat Singers and I Did Not Want to Make a War Film. And we are lucky to have an in-person talkback with Daniel Lombroso of The New Yorker who co-produced the short film I Did Not Want to Make a War Film.

Friday, March 24, 2023 at 7pm, the Ukrainian Institute, 2 E 79th St, New York, NY 10075

The Heat Singers, documentary, 2019, 1h 4min
The municipal district heating company from Ivano-Frankivsk has a cultural offer for its employees. To break away from their daily routine, run-down infrastructure and troublesome clients, they may come to sing in the company choir once a week. The folk and patriotic songs they practice at rehearsals become a bridge between the past communist era and the new political and economic reality. They help them to deal with the shock of transformation and simply spend some time together, just like in the good old times. Read more: https://enff.nl/film/heat-singers/

I Did Not Want To Make a War Film, documentary short, 2022, 19 min
A full-scale invasion found the Kyiv director in a small Bedouin village in the Middle East. It was warm, safe, and unbearably far from home. Once the director had a prophetic dream. She decided to return to Kyiv, still the hostilities were unfolding. Despite the condemnation of relatives and the long journey, she finally managed to cross the threshold of her home. But the house itself has now become forever different. Read more: The New Yorker: A Filmmaker’s Journey to the Heart of War in Ukraine