We’re Fine

Two and a half years after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a group of Ukrainian artists and volunteers converge at Burning Man to create a larger-than-life art installation. Responding to a Facebook post, this group of mostly strangers soon becomes a family as they work together to build this massive sculpture in the empty plateau of the Black Rock Desert. Composed entirely of real road signs collected from de-occcupied Ukrainian territories – each one bearing the scars of war –  the sign spells out the phrase “I’M FINE” in giant letters, a raw symbol of how people hide their pain behind words as life continues. The vast emptiness of the desert is in stark contrast with the bullet ridden scraps of metal, as the sign towers over the plateau, drawing in an audience of curious festival goers. It is only when they come face to face with the sign, do they truly understand the reality of what they are looking at. The piece brings together Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians alike, as a collective experience, coming face to face with what is left behind from war. Through intimate interviews and verite footage, the film explores how this artwork channels trauma into resilience, transforming the debris of war and destruction into a bold message of truth and solidarity.