POV Snags Oscar-Shortlisted, Sundance-Winning Doc ‘A House Made of Splinters’ (EXCLUSIVE)
POV has snapped up Sundance-winning doc “A House Made of Splinters,” helmed by Simon Lereng Wilmont and produced by Oscar nominee Monica Hellström (“Flee”). Shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards, the acclaimed doc will have its broadcast premiere on pubcaster PBS as part of POV’s 36th season starting in the summer.
A co-production involving Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Ukraine, “A House Made of Splinters” follows three children awaiting their fate in a temporary shelter in war-torn Eastern Ukraine.
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As described by Variety’s Guy Lodge in his review: “Neglect and abandonment is what unites the young residents of the Lysychansk Center in Eastern Ukraine, where the children of unfit parents are sheltered for up to nine months while their next steps are decided.”
He added, “The camera waits with them, quietly observing a fragile limbo period from which life can go in any number of directions — including, for the least fortunate, a return to the hardship they left in the first place.”
The highly topical documentary won a best director prize for Lereng Wilmont at Sundance’s World Cinema-Documentary section this year. It also clinched the top prize at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, where it took home the Golden Alexander Award.
“For more than three decades, American Documentary has championed the work of non-fiction filmmakers and these films are supreme examples of the high level of talent that is in our industry,” said Erika Dilday, executive director/executive producer of American Documentary and POV.
“As the demand increases for authentic stories, especially those belonging to marginalized identities, public media allows us to share these films with audiences all across America, without any barriers to entry,” she added.
“Being on POV feels like coming home; We are really excited to collaborate again,” said Lereng Wilmont. “They did an amazing job with our previous film, ‘The Distant Barking of Dogs,’ so having ‘A House Made of Splinters’ with them feels like a natural and perfect fit,” he added.
In “A House Made of Splinters,” Lereng Wilmont continues with the theme of “The Distant Barking of Dogs” by casting an eye on the long term impact of war on society, especially its most vulnerable.
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