Hot Docs

WINNER - Best Canadian Feature, Hot Docs 2011

It can be dangerous to be black in post-Soviet era Ukraine, a country peopled by 99.9% blue-eyed blonds. Olga Nenya faces down age-old xenophobia as she fosters 23 abandoned children along with her own, including 16 bi-racial orphans, in a ramshackle house in a small Ukrainian town. At first their lives seem like an idyllic United Colors of Benetton ad: love and affection from Olga, swimming trips to the lake, playing with chickens, goats and cats, going to school and doing chores in the garden and house. But as the film progresses over three years, a more layered and psychologically disturbing portrait emerges. Olga plays favourites and picks on kids who contradict her, and strict Soviet-era ideas about child rearing stymie their opportunities and abilities. Fresh from its Sundance premiere, Julia Ivanova brings festival audiences a rich observational portrait of a woman who wants to save the children from an unjust world—her way. Lynne Fernie

Screening with Hand to Toe: An Exploration in the Art of Giving

Media Coverage

• Criticize This Hot Docs Preview
• Now Magazine 5-star review
• Toronto Star Interview with director Julia Ivanova