The Living Fire
An artistic documentary about the dying tradition of shepherding in the Carpathian Mountains
With the
thick snow melting in the
breathtaking Carpathian
Mountains of Ukraine, spring
is approaching and three men
must prepare for an arduous
journey up into the mountains. Bound by tradition, they
reflect on the meaning of their own existence as the contemporary
world encroaches on their remote community
and threatens to destroy their way of life. A moving
and captivating tale of three shepherds, each at a different
stage in his life.
"I'd like to see where the corrals and the shacks used to be, where the head shepherds once made brynza cheese. How it once was, and how it is now." 82-year-old Ivan Besashcuk grew up in a world where children learnt about hard work and responsibility from a young age. After the recent loss of his wife, Ivan contemplates spending his remaining years alone. But as he reflects on a long life, memories of the Carpathian meadows bring solace to his golden years.
Vasyl Tonjuk is 39. He is the overseer of Radul, the last remaining high pasture where sheep are still taken annually. Like those who went before him, Vasyl bears a great responsibility for the subsistence of his neighbours and survival of his community. "I don't believe in any signs or prophecies" says his mother. "But when they brought him home from his christening, his godfather came into the house and declared: Vasyl, may you follow in my footsteps and tend sheep in the highlands."
For generations, Ukrainian shepherds have left their families each summer to take their flocks to pasture. Vasyl's 9-year-old godson Ivan Myxhajljuk, likes nothing better than being in the meadow with his flock. But he could be one of the last Carpathian shepherds. He is learning the trade, and on his summer vacation will journey with a thousand sheep 150km through the mountains.
But in this timeless landscape, the age-old profession is under threat. Ageing shepherds pass on, flocks are untended and pastures become deserted. As the economic and political landscape of Ukraine shifts uncertainly, the nation's youth increasingly looks to easier, modern means of subsistence. This poetic encounter with three generations follows the personal relationship of each with his flock, the mountains, and the tradition of this unique way of life.
Winner - Special Jury Prize, Best International Feature Documentary award winner Ostap Kostyuk, Hot Docs, 2015
Official Selection - Zurich Film festival, 2015
Official Selection - Odessa International Film Festival, 2015
Special Mention - National Competition Jury, Odessa International Film Festival, 2015
Diploma for Believing in Preservation of Authentic National Culture in the Process of Globalization - MIFF Listapad, 2015
Best Film - Kids and Docs programme - 18th Olympia International Film festival for children and young people
Official Selection - Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2015
Best Cinematography - Salem Film Festival, 2016
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