“Memory”, Interview with Director Vladlena Sandu and Producer Yanna Buryak

Director Vladlena Sandu and producer Yanna Buryak discussed their film, “Memory“, with us at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. The film, which competed in the Giornate Degli Autori section, explores the cycle of violence and its effects on children across generations.

Breaking the Cycle of Violence
Vladlena Sandu explains that “Memory” addresses how to break the generational cycle of violence. Drawing from her personal experience growing up in Europe during the Soviet Union era and later in war-affected Chechnya, she highlights the alarming number of children impacted by war and oppressive regimes. Sandu underscores the importance of caring for these children, many of whom seek revenge due to their trauma. “Memory” poses a critical question to viewers: How can we confront the root causes of violence and colonialism?

Sandu also discusses modern Russian conflict with the Chechen Republic. She criticizes Russia’s portrayal of the Chechen war as a “Special Military Operation Against Terrorists,” emphasizing her firsthand witness to these events. She feels compelled to speak out about the realities of war and its devastating impact on children.

Filming in Censorship-Restricted Environments
Yanna Buryak, the producer, shares the challenges of filming “Memory” under strict censorship. The team had to carefully navigate restrictions to protect their crew and cast. To secure permission to shoot in Chechnya, they submitted a fake script to the Russian Ministry of Culture. This false script, also titled “Memory”, fictionalized her grandfather’s story—a WWII hero who built a house in Grozny. The real story was kept secret to ensure safety. Securing approval to film in Crimea added further complications to the production process.

Symbolism of King Kong: Colonialism and Cinema as Compassion
A powerful element of “Memory“ is the use of King Kong as an imaginary friend and protector. Sandu describes how her connection to King Kong originated from watching the film as a child at the now-closed Rainbow cinema, which was destroyed by war. Even then, she sensed the injustice of a foreign country exploiting King Kong for entertainment, a reflection of her own displacement—from Chechnya to Ukraine. For Sandu, King Kong symbolizes the yearning for freedom in one’s own space, a theme central to “Memory“. While critics often interpret King Kong through film analysis, Sandu views him as a potent symbol of colonialism and loss.

Art as Therapy and a Path to Healing
Sandu believes art plays a vital role in healing and envisioning a future shaped by choice, not force. For her, “Memory“ functions as a form of art therapy, helping process her PTSD related to war. She aims to inspire young people traumatized by conflict, war zones, or oppressive regimes to use art as a tool for transformation and peacebuilding. Vladlena Sandu and Yanna Buryak want to show how art can serve as a means of recovery and how creative expression offers hope for building a more peaceful world.

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