There is Portugal, there is the Portuguese language and there is a Ukrainian filmmaker who learns the language and approaches the role of the potential migrant. Between languages, between images from here and those from a country at war, a voice tries to put into words the state of exile.
A new language, a new place, yet one, inevitably, thinks of a Kyiv forcefully left behind and retrieved only through images of the past, through the images of a “before”. The tone is calm, as if it were nostalgic, but within a gentle voice hides a cold thrill — the words describe what the images will not allow us to see. The horrors of the war in Ukraine are felt through alarms in the distance and through gestures that speak for themselves: a tape across the window from where a mother sends pictures of the city is placed there so as to protect in case of an explosion. Connections and associations between cultures, languages and images — the smoke in Lisbon speaks of the fire in Ukraine (Dora Leu)
Daryna Mamaisur is a visual artist and filmmaker born in Kyiv, Ukraine. Having a background in art theory and philosophy, she developed her practice at the intersection of different disciplines. Her works explore the transformations of public space and landscape, and their connection to visual culture and memory. Moreover, she is particularly interested in situations when language and vocal expression appear fragile and incapable of seizing reality. In 2022, she graduated from the DocNomads, a joint master’s program in documentary filmmaking, based in Lisbon, Budapest and Brussels. Her films participated in the film festivals as Kassel Dokfest, Visions du Réel, FIDMarseille, Docudays UA etc.