Experiencing Interruptions?

To Cure Longing

A young immigrant’s inquiry into the life of his family in Russia and Ukraine before reaching Israel.

The filmmaker is taken on a life changing journey that forces him to cope with transgenerational trauma, when at the age of 30, he travels along with his father to Russia to meet his grandmother for the first time. He himself handles the camera and directs the conversations in a subtle way, achieving moments of Chekhovian intensity.

  • Artyom Dubitski
    Director
  • Artyom Dubitski
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    לרפא געגועים
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Personal
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 5 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 1, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    60,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Israel
  • Country of Filming:
    Israel, Russian Federation
  • Language:
    Hebrew, Russian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Jerusalem Film Festival
    Jerusalem
    Israel
    July 25, 2022
    World Premiere
    Diamond Award for Best Documentary Film - Winner
Director Biography - Artyom Dubitski

Born in Ukraine, raised in Israel, Artyom Dubitski lives and works from Tel Aviv.

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Director Statement

In 1997, When I was 7 years old, my family split in half when we immigrated from Ukraine to Israel. We left my mom's family behind to build a bright future in Israel, but what I didn't know back then is that there was a third side to the story. When I turned 30 my father, Lev, told me he wants me to meet his biological mother who lives in Russia. On that moment I realized how distant our relationship was and that I need to fix it. With fierce curiosity that grew the more I asked, I decided to pierce through the ice that coated my father's heart in a hope that one day we can have a normal relationship. His foster mother, Grandma Dusya, and his biological mother, Alevtina, didn't spare a single detail on how my grandpa took Lev from his mother and raised him with another woman.
This film is a journey for healing, for me and for the viewer, who is taken into intimate moments of our life, through subjective camera, fly on the wall, archival footage and interviews.