21/07/2025 - The Ukrainian filmmaker and producer discuss her fiction debut, a meditation on memory and absence set in Odesa, which won the Eurimages Special Co-production Development Award at KVIFF

Ukrainian filmmaker Yelizaveta Smit and producer Eugene Rachkovsky, of TABOR, talked to Cineuropa about Smit’s fiction debut, In Vacuo, which tells the story of a young archaeologist returning to Odesa to confront memory, loss and the traces people leave behind. The project, which won the Eurimages Special Co-production Development Award at Karlovy Vary (see the news), is being developed with international partners and is shaped by Smit’s documentary background, while the team must also overcome the challenges of producing cinema during wartime.

Cineuropa: In Vacuo explores memory, absence and the traces people leave behind. How did this inspiration shape the story, and how does it differ from your previous work?
Yelizaveta Smit: The film follows a young archaeologist, Marta, who learns that her estranged father has gone missing. She returns to her native city of Odesa to examine documents and, ultimately, confront her past. This film is about the empty spaces we must face, only to discover that they are filled with memories and feelings. It’s very different from Militantropos [+see also:
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film profile], the documentary I co-directed. In Vacuo is much more personal; it focuses on one protagonist’s inner experience, although it opens up to universal themes. The project actually began before the full-scale invasion, but Odesa, my hometown, has changed so profoundly that I’ve been rewriting the script to reflect the new reality.

What stage is the project at, and what are your production plans?
YS: We’re in late development. The Sundance Script Lab in January 2025 was a key milestone, and since then, I’ve been working on a major rewrite. Now, with support of the Sundance Institute, I will work on the script with Gyula Gazda. Earlier, the project participated in TorinoFilmLab Extended, MIDPOINT Feature Launch and the Writer’s Retreat, but it was put on hold during the war while we focused on documentaries. Sundance Script Lab gave it a second wind.

The film will be shot on location in Odesa and the surrounding region, including the ancient Greek city of Nikonion. Archaeology is a central image in the story’s narrative because its layers reflect the different strata of Marta’s story. I prefer working with real places, real objects and, often, non-professional actors, combined with natural light. This approach comes from my documentary background and from earlier work like my short Solitude. Even during writing, I spend time in Odesa, observing faces, light and spaces, almost like location scouting in advance.

How do you plan to translate the “presence of absence” into cinematic language?
YS: I see cinema as a dialogue between image and sound: when combined, they create something new. Sound will be just as important as the visuals, but I rarely use music unless it grows naturally out of real sound. Much of the film unfolds in twilight, that borderline time between day and night, where the eye receives incomplete information, producing both distortion and new images.

The visual style will evolve alongside the narrative, mirroring the protagonist’s journey. I don’t work with direct cinema references; instead, I draw from art and mood images. My cinematographer and close collaborator Vyacheslav Tsvetkov and I are building the film’s world this way.

What is your envisioned timeline, and how is the financing and co-production structure shaping up?
Eugene Rachkovsky: We’re working with two possible timelines. Plan A is to shoot in summer 2026 because the light in Odesa at that time of year is unique and important for the film’s visual language. If financing takes longer, then Plan B is summer 2027, which would mean a 2028 delivery. We already have two co-producers on board, Mischief Films in Austria, with Ralph Wieser, and Antonia Kilian from Germany, with whom we’re finishing another of Yelizaveta’s documentaries, Listening to the World. We’re open to adding a fourth partner, ideally for post-production, with the Czech Republic being a strong option. At the moment, we’re waiting on the European Solidarity Film Fund, which would provide a strong base to build the financing structure.

What are the biggest production challenges you anticipate under current conditions?
ER: The war is the overriding challenge. Every day of filming must include contingency plans. Air-raid alarms can halt production for hours, and when a full crew is on set, those interruptions quickly become financially unsustainable. Security has become a department in itself; we need security officers to coordinate evacuations and work with the production manager on safety protocols.

That’s why we’re considering smaller, more flexible crews, of around 20-30 people instead of the usual 80-100. A base would be kept near a shelter, with only essential crew, the director, the DoP and the first AD moving to the shooting location. The scale depends on the scene and whether extras are involved, but the principle is minimising risk while ensuring continuity of work. The war has taught us to adapt. You stop dreaming about timelines and learn to work with reality.

Who are the key creative collaborators, and what are your plans for post-production and distribution?
YS: We’re building on long-standing collaborations. The production designer is Maria Khomyakova. Together with DoP Vyacheslav Tsvetkov, we form a creative triangle, and all three of us know and love Odesa deeply, which is vital for this story. For the sound, I hope to continue with Mykhailo Zakytskyi.

ER: Post-production will take time; we prefer careful editing, around four to six months, followed by several more months after picture lock. The aim is to finish in 2028. The festival strategy is still open, but Sundance is a natural priority, since they supported us at the script stage. In parallel, we plan to approach sales agents earlier than usual. Strong sales support could help us cover the Ukrainian production side, which remains the most difficult part to finance.