Premieres Monday, Sept. 29, 2025 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV / KPBS+
POV presents "Porcelain War," a visceral and deeply personal film that follows three Ukrainian artists as they choose to fight back against Russia with hand-molded porcelain creatures and handheld cameras.
The film is by first-time feature co-directors Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev, a Ukrainian sculptor turned filmmaker, and produced by Aniela Sidorska p.g.a., Paula DuPré Pesmen p.g.a., Camilla Mazzaferro, and Olivia Ahnemann. Razom for Ukraine is an official partner of the film.
Nominated for the 2025 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature and winner of the Grand Jury U.S. Documentary Award at the Sundance Film Festival (2024), "Porcelain War" brings to the front lines the transformative power of art.
Set against the brutal backdrop of war-torn Ukraine, the film follows artists Slava Leontyev, his wife Anya Stasenko, and their collaborator Andrey Stefanov— ceramicists whose meticulously detailed porcelain creatures stand in haunting contrast to the chaos and destruction around them.
In a war waged by professional soldiers against ordinary civilians, the trio makes the radical decision to stay behind in their home city of Kharkiv. Armed with cameras, clay, and for the first time in their lives, guns, they confront violence not only with force, but with creativity.
As daily shelling becomes the norm, Anya clings to her art as a form of resistance and refuge. Slava, a former art teacher, becomes a weapons instructor for ordinary people who have become unlikely citizen soldiers.
Andrey embarks on a perilous mission to get his young family to safety, then returns to document the surreal new reality that has engulfed his homeland. As the war intensifies, on tiny porcelain figurines, Anya and Slava capture their idyllic past, uncertain present, and the hope for a future rebuilt.
In "Porcelain War," co-directors Bellomo and Leontyev blend animation, hand-painted art, and cinéma vérité footage to chronicle lives under siege and capture the spirit of artists determined to live and create on their own terms.
FILMMAKER QUOTE:
“I am deeply honored to be a part of making this documentary. We all have a role to play in defending democracy, and our freedom of artistic expression is integral to that preservation,” said Brendan Bellomo, co-director, "Porcelain War." “During this unique process of international collaborative filmmaking, I learned that no barrier can stop our artistic spirit and its ability to connect us all, even when separated by thousands of miles, language barriers, and an active war zone. When experiencing [the film] 'Porcelain War,' I would like audiences to walk away with a new perspective on not just the conflict in Ukraine, but the beauty and resilience of the human spirit. Brave, everyday people can make a difference in preserving their culture, and the stories we tell - both in art and in cinema - play a vital role. They are not ornamental, but necessary and powerful. We are thrilled to partner with POV in sharing this incredible story with audiences. Public television is more important now than ever - it is somewhere all of us can seek out new perspectives, inform our viewpoints, and find common ground. POV is a place to find those very types of vital, groundbreaking, and diverse stories.”
Slava Leontyev, co-director and participant in "Porcelain War" added: “The participants are not only defending Ukraine, they are defending the world and democracy against dictatorship. They gave me a unique opportunity to show how these historical events are happening now. It is important for me to share this experience with people everywhere, because anyone can face similar challenges if freedom doesn’t win.”
Anya Stasenko, "Porcelain War" participant, said: “My friends are defending the life of our country. Our art is a part of this life, a part of the culture of Ukraine, and we have a responsibility to make this part as beautiful as we can. In the most terrible moments of this war, I want to give people a reason to smile once in a while. It is what will keep us hopeful and what will keep our culture alive.”
Watch On Your Schedule: "Porcelain War" will make its national broadcast premiere on POV on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025 and will be available to stream until Dec. 28, 2025 with KPBS+.
Raves include:
“P'orcelain War' is a searing, singular vision of life and art on the edge of annihilation... an extraordinary testament to the role of creativity as resistance.”— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
“A wildly original and visually stunning war documentary... Equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring.”— Addie Morfoot, Variety
“Art as survival, art as protest, art as memory — 'Porcelain War' is a cinematic punch to the heart.”— Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“Explodes the conventions of the war doc… A haunting, hand-crafted love letter to Ukraine.”— Kate Erbland, Indiewire
Credits: Directors are Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev. The producers are Aniela Sidorska, p.g.a., Paula DuPré Pesmen, p.g.a., Camilla Mazzaferro, and Olivia Ahnemann. The screenwriters are Aniela Sidorska, Brendan Bellomo, Paula DuPré Pesmen, and Slava Leontyev. The cinematographer is Andrey Stefanov, and the editors are Brendan Bellomo, Aniela Sidorska, and Kelly Cameron. Music is by DakhaBrakha. Animation is by BluBlu Studios.
The executive producers are Al Hicks, Luke Mazzaferro, Rob Galluzo, Linda A. Cornfield, David J. Cornfield, Howard G. Buffett, Sheri Sobrato, Jeffrey Sobrato, Lisa Sobrato Sonsini, Andrea Cayton, Garrett Cayton, Ginny Jordan, Georgia Welles, Amy Carpenter, Steve Carpenter, James Balog, Robina Riccitiello, Josh Peters, Michael Anders, Karl Kister, Joe Barnathan, Kevin Marciano, John Schmidt, and Erika Dilday and Chris White for American Documentary
