Room of the Absolute

Amid the three years of relentless destruction to her homeland, Ukrainian painter Alla Hurenko (professionally known as “Pazza Pennello”) offers a new diaristic perspective on daily life under war, where her canvas becomes a powerful act of resistance, a testament to perseverance, and a quiet rebellion against those determined to erase her world and identity.

Shot by the artist on her iPhone 14 under the remote direction of her friends, filmmaking couple Natalie Shirinian and Elizabeth Baudouin, and edited by Jocelyne Chaput (Academy Award-nominated Fire of Love), ROOM OF THE ABSOLUTE offers an intimate and previously unseen perspective on the war in Ukraine. Filmed in a singular, diaristic style through a female lens, this short documentary tells a deeply personal story of resilience and purpose.

Spanning three years, the film follows Alla from her art studio in Chornomorsk, a port city in the Odesa region where she lives with her grandmother, onward to her debut solo exhibition in Paris, then to an urgent hospital stay in Switzerland, a return to her family in Chornomorsk, and finally, a new art studio in Kyiv. ROOM OF THE ABSOLUTE is a powerful chronicle of unwavering dedication to art, identity, and homeland, even as the trauma of war takes its toll within.