Experiencing Interruptions?

Black Grass

Black Grass focuses on the abandoned remnants of humanity and the life that thrives without it in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

"A humbling film, both in the haunting images of the disaster caused by human error and the force of nature pushing through our abandoned edifices."

  • Rachel Yurkovich
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Nature, Nature documentary, Reality film
  • Runtime:
    33 minutes 25 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 19, 2018
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Ukraine
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Barcelona Planet Film Festival
    Barcelona
    Spain
    Best Documentary Feature Film
  • The Sculpture Center
    Cleveland, OH
    United States
    January 19, 2018
    World Premiere
Director Biography - Rachel Yurkovich

Rachel Yurkovich was born in South Carolina, but lived most of her developing years in Macedonia and the Czech Republic. She received her BFA in Sculpture and Painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2014. With an interest in living things as a medium, her work often ends up as a video. Rachel was granted the 2014 First Agnes Gund Traveling Award, which allowed her to travel to Chernobyl, Ukraine for filming in the Spring of 2016. Shortly after returning, Rachel had a solo exhibition on display at the ROY G BIV Gallery in Columbus, Ohio. Her videos have been exhibited in venues such as SPACES Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, Missouri. She has also shown in film festivals such as Echofluxx 15, in Prague, Czech Republic and the Davis International Film Festival in San Francisco, California. Rachel is currently living in Cleveland, Ohio with her chickens, where she works at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

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