Fragments of Ice

Fragments of Ice is a documentary that utilizes a private VHS archive to explore the relationship between personal memory and historical change. The film follows director Maria Stoianova as she examines footage recorded by her father, a figure skater with the Ukrainian ensemble Ballet on Ice. These recordings capture his travels to the West and family life during the 1980s and 1990s. By contrasting these amateur tapes with the reality of the Soviet Union's collapse and Ukraine's path to independence, the film examines the concept of a Western paradise and the process of growing up for an individual, a family, and a society.

The film was directed and written by Maria Stoianova and produced by Maksym Nakonechnyi and Alina Gorlova. It is a co-production between Ukraine and Norway, created through Tabor Productions. Released on January 9, 2025, the documentary has a runtime of 86 minutes.