2020 Berlinale Generation presents the Ukrainian documentary “The earth is blue as an orange” which already won the documentary directing award at this years Sundance film festival. In a loving way the film follows single mother Anna and her four children as they document their lives on the Ukrainian/Russian boarder trough their own film project. Director Iryna Tsilyk manages to draw a deeply touching portray of a family trying to bring normality and hope into a life marked by war. The outstanding camera work creates pictures that are able to transport a feeling of surrealistic normality in circumstances who are terrifying real. With her first documentary feature film Iryna Tsilyk reminds us that although the media presents is decreasing the war between Ukraine and Russia is still going on. In our interview she talks about her film, a surrealistic place and the power of cinema. THE FAMILY Iryna Tsilyk and the family portrayed in film got to know each other trough the Ukrainian pro
Interview with Alexandre Rockwell and Lana Rockwell from Sweet Thing We meet the director of Sweet Thing and the actress of Billie Lana Rockwell at the CinemaxX. We are greeted warmly and go over to their hotel because at the CinemaxX it is too loud. We are very happy that the interview worked. We talk briefly about our blog and then the interview starts! Anna: Billie Holiday is a big topic in the film and Billie is also named after her. Why did you choose to include Billie Holiday in your film? Alexander Rockwell (director): There is kind of an aura about Billie Holiday. She has a lot of pain in her life but she’s such an elegant person, she is almost like a dream. There is something very beautiful and kind of dreamy about her but she suffered a lot. I thought she would be a great hero for the protagonist Lana. I thought having Lana named after her would connect her to her father because her father really admired Billie Holiday and he wanted his daughter to have his strength.