Marta Smerechynska
Directing
Biography
Marta Smerechynska (b. 1997) is a Ukrainian documentary filmmaker educated at KNUTKiT in Kyiv, La Fémis in Paris, and the DocNomads Master’s program in Portugal, Hungary, and Belgium. Her films have been screened at 30+ film festivals, including Visions du Réel and the Sarajevo FF. Marta's feature-length debut documentary focuses on reconnecting with her sister, who has become a nun, by exploring life in her new home — a remote women's monastery in the West of Ukraine. Her recent works explore Ukraine’s wartime experience.
Known For
Marta, the film's director, faces her fears and digs into the realm of her estranged sister Nastia, a Greek-Catholic nun, to re-evaluate the world they both were brought up in.
Diary of a Bride of Christ
What to take, what to leave? How important are material possessions when you’re trying to save your life? Packages from Ukraine – filled with everything and nothing – wait patiently under a bridge to be found, while a voice stirs memories of frivolous and treasured personal effects, in an apparent heart-breaking farewell letter to Kyiv.
One Aloe, One Ficus, One Avocado and Six Dracaenas
The director interviews young women interested in renting a room, initially discussing cohabitation preferences. The tone shifts when a young Ukrainian woman arrives, leading to a focus on the stories of those who fled Ukraine after the Russian invasion. The director pieces together their trauma and loneliness, sharing her own memories and videos of happier times, symbolising the collective pain of an impossible return.