Australian Production Company Songbird Earns First Oscar Nomination for Haunting Ukraine War Documentary

Songbird Studios, co-owned by FINCH, has secured its first-ever Oscar nomination for Porcelain War, a documentary capturing the defiant and delicate artistry of Ukrainians continuing to create in the face of destruction.

Established just over two years ago, Songbird Studios is an Australian-born independent production company founded by filmmakers Al Hicks, Camilla Mazzaferro, Luke Mazzaferro, and Rob Galluzzo, with the aim of producing creatively ambitious work, and a focus on extraordinary human stories and figures in music, sports, and popular culture.

Directed by American filmmaker Brendan Bellomo and Ukrainian artist-turned-director Slava Leontyev, the film follows artists who refuse to let war silence their craft — sculpting, painting, and filming even as bombs fall around them.

Producer Camilla Mazzaferro said, “We are truly humbled to receive this recognition from the Academy. It has been an honour to support Slava, Anya and Andrey as they fight to preserve their culture and bravely share their story of resilience and hope.”

The production was led out of Songbird’s Sydney office, in association with Imaginary Lane. An international team of filmmakers and artists across Ukraine, America, Australia, Poland, and India collaborated on the project.

It was produced by an all-female team, comprising Australian Camilla Mazzaferro from Songbird Studios and U.S. based Aniela Sidorska, Paula DuPré Pesmen, and Olivia Ahnemann. 

At the heart of Porcelain War is the story of Slava Leontyev, his wife Anya Stasenko, and fellow artist Andrey Stefanov, who chose to stay in Ukraine despite the full-scale Russian invasion. Anya’s delicate porcelain figurines, sculpted in a war zone, starkly contrast with the destruction around her.

Slava balances his artistic ambitions with training fellow Ukrainians in combat, while Brendan documents their resilience through his lens.

The film’s haunting visuals blend raw documentary footage with animated sequences, bringing Anya’s porcelain figures to life. These dreamlike animations, created by Warsaw-based BluBlu Studios, contrast the brutal reality outside.

Porcelain War has dominated the awards circuit since its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It won Sundance’s prestigious U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize and has since screened at over one hundred festivals worldwide, including the Sydney Film Festival, winning over 50 awards. 

It is also the only Oscar-nominated documentary feature to receive recognition from all three major U.S. guilds — the Producers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America, and the American Society of Cinematographers.

“It’s an extraordinary achievement for an independent documentary and a testament to the perseverance and dedication of an exceptional team of filmmakers who have worked tirelessly to bring this story to audiences around the world,” Camilla said.