Dokumentarfilm »Fragments of Ice« und anschließende Diskussion mit Iryna Shum

In the organizer's words:

Venue: Central Library in KAP 1, Konrad-Adenauer-Platz 1, 40210 Düsseldorf

Personal, political and social developments unfold in Maria Stoianova's documentary "Fragments of Ice", which was edited from fifteen VHS tapes from 1986 to 1994 - video diaries recorded by the filmmaker's father, a world champion figure skater, during his tours abroad with the Ukrainian ensemble "Ballet on Ice" as well as in his own home.

While the audience follows director Maria Stoianova as she grows up, it also witnesses the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine's declaration of independence and its transition to a market economy. The glamorous shots from the West, which Stoianova's father captured on his travels, stand in stark contrast to the images at home: peeling walls, collapsed ceilings and cockroaches in the family apartment. "Fragments of Ice" captures both the great historical arc and its impact on the lives of individual people - and ends with another upheaval: the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "The end of history never happened," muses Maria Stoianova. "It's frozen and only catches up with us years later."

The film shows two sides of growing up: on the one hand, the longing for an idealized world - perhaps also illusions, because what you see from afar often seems particularly tempting. But on closer inspection, many things become more complex and contradictory. On the other hand, the film addresses the post-colonial identity of a nation - a society that is gaining its independence and trying to understand itself and explain itself to others.

Following the screening, we cordially invite you to a discussion with Iryna Shum about Ukrainian identity from a postcolonial perspective. The discussion will also focus on the internal processes in the Soviet Union that led to its collapse and the truth behind the glamorous image painted by Soviet propaganda.

Iryna Shum is known in Düsseldorf as the Consul General of Ukraine (2021-2024). Since summer 2024, she has been Deputy Director for Public Diplomacy and Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian-Norwegian film "Fragments of Ice" was shown at several international festivals in 2024, including Filmfest Hamburg and the Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin. In April 2025, it will also be shown at the renowned Nyon International Film Festival "Visions du Réel".

The film will be shown in its original version with English subtitles.

As part of the "Ukraine is here" event series.
The event series "Ukraine is here" is a cooperation between the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Haus Foundation, the Karl Arnold Foundation and the Consulate General of Ukraine in Düsseldorf and is co-financed by the European Union. Other local partners: Stadtbüchereien Düsseldorf, Ridne Slowo e.V., Verein zur Förderung der Städtepartnerschaft Düsseldorf-Czernowitz e.V.