🎬 Castles in the Sand

Work on the film lasted more than four years: filming took place between 2021–2025 and included four expeditions to Burning Man. The film became a kind of quintessence of how Ukrainian art integrated into the international context of the festival and how, through art, Ukrainians communicate with the world about themselves, war, and contemporary Ukraine. The film follows the stories of Ukrainian artists and dreamers who have represented Ukraine at Burning Man for more than 10 years — one of the world's most renowned cultural platforms. Projects that began as adventures and a form of self-expression gradually transformed into a dialogue with the world — an artistic manifesto and a cultural-diplomatic mission. Ukrainian installations such as Phoenix, I'm Fine, Blue Bull, or Black Cloud become a gateway into Ukrainian context for foreign audiences: they speak about memory, loss, resilience, and freedom. The film shows how these projects come into being, how much work and risk stands behind their realization, and how their messages resonate in Western society. Metaphorically, it is a story not only about art, but also about identity, perseverance, and the ability to communicate national experience through contemporary visual language.