Touted as a true story The Sky Was on Fire: Ballet and War in Ukraine takes you into the unusual sphere of a bizarre war that’s seen as David verses Goliath. The challenge of keeping the Ukrainian Ballet intact during drone attacks would be daring to say the least, but when fellow dancers chose to fight, more so. With Mariupos and Kharkiv under Russian attacks a choice had to be made that would make significant change in the smaller country. Told by the people who lived it, the docudrama shows grit and gamble and the will of a strong-willed nation.
With members of the troupe of dancers taking up military arms in defense of their country, the remaining ballet artists and crew decided to leave the cities that were targeted and take asylum abroad. This became a monumental task to continue with the Ballet. Moving forward they decided to do their best for Ukraine to make the world listen and watch their outcry through the theme of their magnificent ballet. The combination of the two arts of film and dance gets totally engrossing, so much so that one plays off the other delivering an experience that is not easy to forget.
The film was born in Orlando, Florida where the ballet came together for a performance. Producer Julie Meyer, according to a story in Bungalower an Orlando local publication, had this to say in an interview. “This entire journey started right here in Orlando. We were initially filming what we thought was a one-night ballet performance—a Ginsburg Family Foundation fundraiser for Ukraine—but the stories we heard changed everything. As filmmakers, we couldn’t walk away. We followed these dancers as they made impossible choices, and that’s how “The Sky Was On Fire” was born. To now bring this film back home to Orlando, where it all began, and have it screened at the Florida Film Festival is incredibly special.”- Bungalower reporter Brendan O’Connor
Actual photos of the war in the dramatic documentary tells the tale with realism while the amazing ballet interphases with dance. The film plays out in English with some scenes using subtitles to translate the Ukrainian speakers. The survivors pour out their hearts for losses of their husbands and fellow dancers to the conflict and the film becomes touching and sometimes angry. It then congeals like the blood of the fallen into a massive storm of discontent for the awful war depicted in dance. Its beauty fighting against the beast and as meaningful in the dancer’s movements as it is in destruction on a battlefield.
The Sky Was on Fire: Ballet and War in Ukraine will be coming to theaters and digital in the near future following its World Premiere at the Florida Film Festival. It’s a not to be missed film by mature adults of all ages. 5 out of 5 Stars
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Krystyna Shyshkarova, Oleh Tokar, Khrystyna Shyshpor, Petro Chupryna, Svitglana Onipko, Kira Vyshnevetska, Larysa Tarasenko, Tatiana Shapoval
Directed and written by:
Genre: Documentary and Dance
MPAA Rating: Not rated, contains war video and destruction and bloody scenes
Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min.
Opening Date: Florida Film Festival
