Ashes Settling in Layers on the Surface (in production)

Dir. Zoya Laktionova

Producers: Natalia Libet (Ukraine), Victor Ede (France)

Production companies: 2Brave Productions (Ukraine), Cinephage Productions (France)

Duration: 75’

Delivery: DCP, 2K Color

Sound: 5K

Language: Ukrainian

Logline: Based on diaries and photographs of the director’s grandfather and mother, the film reconstructs the life of one family within the never-ending cycle of destruction and restoration in her hometown — Mariupol. Today, the director is left with nothing except her memories. And she is not the only one: while we are watching this film, somewhere there is war.

Supported by
2023 - European Solidarity Fund for Ukrainian Films - development
2022 - Netflix and Ukrainian Film Academy - development

2022 - IDFA Bertha Fund - development

2021 - Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UСF) - director's research

Labs/ Residencies

2024 - American Film Showcase editing workshop, Warsaw (Poland)

2024 - Film Independent Global Media Makers Residency, Los Angeles (USA)

2023 - Documentary Industry Days in Gdynia (Poland)

2023 - IDFA Project Space, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2023 - DocLab Poland at Krakow Film Festival (Poland)
2022-2023 - Harriman Residency of Columbia University, Paris (France)

2022 - IDFA Academy, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Industry Awards

2025 - Eurimages Co-production Development Award, VdR Pitching, Nyon (Switzerland)
2023 - from the Goteborg Film Fund at the Launch Pad Pitching (Poland)

2023 - from the Watch Doc Film Festival at the Launch Pad Pitching (Poland)

Markets

2025 - CANNES DOCS Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes: Spotlighted Projects (France)

2025 - Visions du Reel Pitching, Nyon (Switzerland)

2023 - IDFA Forum, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
2021 - Ji.hlava New Visions Market, Jihlava (Czech)

Publications

2025 - The Film Comment Podcast: Cannes 2025 #10 — The Voice of Documentary

2025 - CINEUROPA: Zoya Laktionova • Director of Ashes Settling in Layers on the Surface

2025 - Variety - Zoya Laktionova’s Mariupol Memoir Wins Big at Visions du Réel’s Industry Awards
2025 - Screen Daily - Ukrainian documentary takes top prize at Visions du Reel industry awards

2023 - MUBI - In Conversation with Natalka Biloserkivets and Zoya Laktionova