Igor Ivanko / Ukraine, Slovakia / 2022 / 85’ / Ukrainan, Russian, Polish | Italian Subtitles

Soviet cinematographer Leonid Burlaka worked at Odessa Film Studio in the 60s on dozens of films that have traveled the world. Today he’s in his 80s and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. As his memory fades away, his grandson and young filmmaker, Ihor follows the tracks that Leonid left behind via film rolls, homemade videos, letters and forgotten friends. As he dives deeper and deeper into the archive, Ihor realizes that the story of his grandfather has historical value. Burlaka started his career at a time where scripts were rejected and artists were dealing with censorship and he was established as a cinematographer in the mid-60s when the soviet repression finally relaxed. This political change is present in his works and also creates a strong bond between Ihor and Leonid, since both of these two men started working in cinema in times of turmoil. Having the fear that Leonid’s memory will be eventually erased completely, Ihor reaches out to his old friends and colleagues to find lost pieces that will hopefully reveal forgotten aspects of his grandfather’s life. However, Leonid’s memory fades faster and faster – will he be able to see the new life that Igor gives to his archive?

Screenplay Igor Ivanko, Mariia Ponomarova
Editing Igor Kosenko
Music Marek Piaček
Sound design and mix Karina Rezhevska
Production Burlaka Films, Peter Kerekes Ltd.
Producer Alexandra Bratyshchenko, Peter Kerekes
Creative producer Mariia Ponomarova
Production assistant Alina Chernobai
Camera Igor Ivanko, Illia Yehorov
Photographic research Victoria Myronenko

Igor Ivanko

Igor Ivanko was born in 1992 in Odesa, Ukraine. He graduated from Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television obtaining Cinematography Master Degree in 2016. Since 2014 Igor has collaborated as a cinematographer with BABYLON’13 documentary filmmakers collective, filming during Maidan protests and the Russo- Ukrainian war. Fragile Memoryis his debut feature documentary film.