Fragments of Ice
The mission of the Centre d'art et essai de la Cinémathèque québécoise (CAECQ) is to primary program Quebec-made documentaries and independent fiction, as well as international documentaries, animated and foreign films, while encouraging opportunities for meetings between the public and the artists. Its programming is presented in conjunction with the Cinémathèque québécoise’s under the label New releases.
The May 16 screening will by followed by a discussion with André Habib, professor at the Université de Montréal & Executive Director at Hors Champ, and Catherine Thibeault, doctoral student and specialist in the history of sport in the USSR
The May 18 mai screening will by followed by a discussion with Sasha Samar, actor and playwright (Moi dans les ruines rouges du siècle) and Olena Khomyakova, actress, puppeteer and founder of Kolo Art
Official selection, 2024 Visions du Réel
Personal, political, and social developments unfold in Fragments of Ice, edited together from fifteen VHS tapes covering the period from 1986 to 1994—video diaries shot by the director’s father, a champion figureskater, during his foreign tours with the Ukrainian Ensemble Ballet on Ice, as well as at home. As we follow director Maria Stoianova growing up, we witness the parallel collapse of the Soviet Union and Ukraine’s journey toward regaining its independence, followed by its transition to a market economy. Expectations reflected in the glamorous footage of the West, filmed by Stoianova’s father during his tours, contrast starkly with the home video images of peeling walls, collapsed ceilings, and cockroaches in the family flat.
Fragments of Ice captures both the broad sweep of history and its impact on the lives of real people, culminating in a new upheaval—the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The End of History never happened,” Stoianova muses. “It froze and caught up with us years later.”
Maria Stoianova
Maria Stoianova is a Ukrainian documentary film director and editor. She was born and currently works in Kyiv. She graduated from the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (degree in Cultural Studies) and the Central European University (degree in Sociology and Social Anthropology). In 2018, she finished her studies at the Sergey Bukovsky Film Program. Creating her films, Maria Stoianova actively works with vernacular videos and public and private archives. Her films participated in international film festivals such as Ji.hlava IDFF, DOK Leipzig, FIDMarseille and many others. Fragments of Ice (2024) is her feature-length debut.
Bio & photo: Ritual Films
