Zvizdal (Chernobyl – So Far, So Close)

The multimedia performance Zvizdal (Chernobyl – So Far, So Close) is a portrait of an elderly couple who refused to leave the forbidden zone surrounding the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant and continue to live there, farming their land in absolute isolation. It is a story of loneliness, poverty, and struggle for survival, but also a tale of determination, love, and hope.

Berlin was founded in 2003 in Antwerp by Bart Baele, Yves Degryse, and Caroline Rochlitz. Berlin’s original works combine film with poetry, documentary film with theater, and fiction with modern technology. Zvizdal was inspired by the work of French journalist Cathy Blisson, who first brought the old couple living in the forbidden zone to the attention of Baele and Degryse. The performance had its premiere at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels in May 2016.

In English with Czech subtitles.