Under the Volcano () is a 2024 Polish drama film directed by Damian Kocur. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2024. It was selected as Poland's submission for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
Premise A Ukrainian family on vacation in Tenerife learns that they cannot return home due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Cast Sofiia Berezovska as Sofiia Kovalenko, a 16-year-old Ukrainian girl as Roman Kovalenko, Sofiia's father as Anastasiia Kovalenko, Sofiia's stepmother Fedir Pugachov as Fedir Kovalenko, Sofiia's younger brother
Release Salaud Morisset acquired international sales rights to the film in August 2024. The trailer was released on 7 September 2024.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2024. It will also be screened at the 2024 Polish Film Festival as the festival's opening film.
Reception Jared Mobarak of The Film Stage gave the film a grade of B+, writing that "[Damian] Kocur has given form to the purgatory of survival in times of horror." David Katz of Cineuropa wrote, "From an immediately pressurised opening, Under the Volcano drifts into a pleasing and paradoxically hypnotic kind of stasis, shot with oft-deteriorated available light and in shallow focus with long lenses – not quite a 'hangout' movie, and more about biding time in urban loneliness...."
The film has received mixed reviews in Poland. Filmweb assigned the film a score of 6.3 out of 10 based on 33 critic ratings.
Accolades Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result BFI London Film Festival 2024 Best Film Under the Volcano Cork International Film Festival 2024 Spirit of the Festival Award Polish Film Festival2024 Golden Lions Best Professional Acting Debut Sofiia Berezovska Marrakech International Film Festival 2024 Étoile d'Or Under the Volcano Best Director Damian Kocur Best Performance by an Actor São Paulo International Film Festival 2024 New Directors Competition Under the Volcano Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2024 Golden Alexander Warsaw Film Festival 2024 Crème de la Crème Award Zurich Film Festival 2024 Best International Feature Film See also List of Polish submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
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