The Scar of the Earth (2020)

Macha Ovtchinnikova, author of the film, follows the tracks of her great-great-aunt in Kyiv while her mother tells the story of the aunt’s death, revealing a dramatic episode of the Holocaust: “In my great-great-mother’s home, a little black-and-white picture represented deserted hill covered with dry grass. A little black cross traced on the photograph indicated the approximate place where her sister Esfir was buried with her family. Before the war, Esfir had a happy family, a husband, and three children. They lived in a Jewish neighborhood of Kyiv, close to the Babi Yar ravine. The German army entered Kyiv on September 22, 1941. On September 28, all Jews of the city were called to a meeting place with their documents and personal possessions. On September 29, at dawn, thousands of Jews left their places with their suitcases and provision — they were preparing for the long trip. Today Babi Yar is an understated remembrance place, that deserted park seems to keep the scars of the earth. The first time I've visited this place, I was overwhelmed by its desolate and impersonal aspect. This video tries to relate my first painful impression of the the crisp colors, the dry cracklings. The black-and-white picture and traced cross I was telling about was an invisible, virtual grave of Esfir. It was the only remaining trace of that woman, whose documents were burned, books and clothes stolen.”