A young man named Pavlo moves to the Ukrainian countryside in search of solitude following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. That is the story of Way Home (2020), a documentary by Artsiom Lobach, a Belarusian filmmaker, who was only able to truly understand his protagonist’s journey after he himself was forced to leave his country.
A film director, producer, and documentary filmmaker Artsiom Lobach studied Design at the Mink College of Arts to then develop his film interest and education further by studying Film and TV Directing at the Academy of Fine Art in Mink, Feature Filmmaking in Warsaw, and Documentary Filmmaking at the Wajda School. He created and directed documentaries for Currenttime.tv, a television channel aimed at Russian audiences with the editorial office in Prague, created by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and for BELSAT TV, a free-to-air television channel aimed at Belarus, created in Poland and designed in response to demand by Belarusian democratic circles for a channel independent of the Minsk authorities. He also directed and edited the live music show Belsat Music Live. In 2023, Lobach directed the New Year’s message video of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a Belarusian political activist and opposition leader.
After the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, Pavel leaves his homeland and ventures deep into the Ukrainian countryside. Way Home tells the story of striving to maintain one’s identity and independence while struggling with nostalgia for his home and a desire to return to an idealised past. Pavel searches for his place in the world, creating his own and facing challenges and obstacles on his path to self-discovery.
In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, Artisom talks about his work and influences derived from his own life.
Podcast episode created in collaboration with the Belarusian Filmmakers Network (BFN).
Listen to the podcast here:
