Sceneggiatura / Screenplay: Damian Kocur, Marta Konarzewska Fotografia / Photography: Nikita Kuzmienko Montaggio / Editing: Alan Zejer Suono / Sound: Serhii Avdieiev Scenografia / Set Designer: Aleksandra Markowska Costumi / Costume Designer: Magdalena Sekrecka, Agata Piesiewicz Interpreti / Cast: Sofiia Berezovska, Roman Lutskyi, Anastasiia Karpienko, Fedir Pugachov Produzione / Produced by: Lizart Film Coproduzione / Co-produced by: Hawk Art, MGM, TVP Con il sostegno di / Supported by: Polish Film Institute Distribuzione internazionale / World Sales: Salaud Morisset
A Ukrainian family is spending the last day of their holiday in Tenerife, Spain. They do not know that their life will change completely the next day. Once at the airport, their flight is cancelled: Russia has invaded Ukraine. Trapped on the island, overnight the tourists become refugees. Under the Volcano has been selected as Poland’s official Oscar entry for Best International Feature. The film premiered at the Toronto IFF in 2024.
“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 … 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 we are from or who we are.” (D. Kocur)
Damian Kocur
Born in Katowice in 1983, Damian Kocur is a Polish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. A graduate of the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School in Katowice, he is currently pursuing his PhD at the Łódź Film School. He is also a member of the European Film Academy. His short film Beyond is the Day (2020) won several awards, including Best Short Film at the Trieste FF. His feature debut, Bread and Salt (2022), premiered in the “Orizzonti” section of the Venice IFF, where it was awarded the Special Jury Prize. His short film As It Was (2023), was selected at Cannes and was nominated for the EFA. The Trieste FF presented all his previous work, including his latest film (see page 58), Under the Volcano (2024), which premiered at the Toronto IFF.
2013 Lekcja (Lesson) cm / sf 2014 21 dni (21 Days) cm / sf doc. 2015 To, czego chcę (What I Want) cm / sf 2016 Powrót (The Return) cm / sf 2017 Nic nowego pod słońcem (Nothing New Under the Sun) cm / sf 2018 1410 cm / sf 2019 Moje serce (My Heart) cm / sf 2020 Dalej jest dzień (Beyond Is the Day); Premi / Awards: Trieste FF – Miglior cortometraggio / Best Short Film; Clermont-Ferrand ISFF – Miglior film europeo / Best European Film 2022 Chleb i sól (Pane e sale / Bread and Salt); Premi / Awards: Venezia, Mostra del cinema – Premio speciale della giuria “Orizzonti” / Venice FF – Special “Orizzonti” Jury Prize 2023 Jak ce bylo (As it Was) diretto con / directed with Anastasiia Solonevych cm / sf 2024 Pod wulkanem (Under the Volcano)
