Sasha is a Ukrainian sculptor living in Paris who is haunted by absence and the war. Inspired by the death of her grandmother, she creates a sculpture and travels home to honour her memory. Margaux, a Belgian friend, accompanies her, carrying an old Bolex camera. Throughout the journey, dreams and reality collide as Sasha shares diary pages revealing her innermost feelings.

“Leleka” is a road trip from Paris to Okhtyrka in Ukraine. It is a journey of discovery, friendship and mourning (for loved ones and a country) that will soothe you like a lullaby.

Harald Hutter, who previously won the Grand Prize at Cinéma du Réel, moves into fiction with this delicate homage, based on conversations with Ukrainian exiles and artists. Using 16 mm film and black-and-white imagery, he creates a meaningful yet enchanting film. The silent road, the faces and the hidden corners draw an oneiric landscape where silence speaks. “Leleka” is a chant, a whispered poem and a sensory journey exploring the impact of war on humanity.

Javier Garcia Puerto