Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil centres around the remarkable spiritual bond shared by the filmmaker Karolina Uskakovych and her charismatic grandmother, Zoya, a proud Ukrainian pensioner who cherishes her non-capitalist peasant lifestyle. In winter 2021, Zoya presented Karolina with a package of her harvested tomato seeds. The next growing season, however, coincided with the Russian Federation’s devastating invasion of Ukraine. Undeterred by the dire circumstances, Zoya and Karolina embarked on a unique journey of tending their gardens together online. They nurtured their plants and engaged in important conversations, shedding light on the significance of this age-old practice during wartime.
The documentary film weaves together themes relating to the bond between humans and nature, and the profound impact of gardening during turbulent times. The documentary asks its viewers to reflect on the intrinsic connection between humans and the natural world, emphasising the therapeutic and empowering qualities that can be found in cultivating the land.
Karolina Uskakovych is a multidisciplinary filmmaker, designer, and artist from Kyiv. She graduated from the Non-Linear Narrative master's course at the Royal Academy of Arts, the Hague. Her art examines the entanglement of nature, culture and technology. Since 2021 she has worked as the art director of the Anthroposphere: Oxford Climate Review magazine and has been a member of the Digital Ecologies research group.
Karolina participated in the (Re)Grounding Residency and co-founded both the Uzvar Collective and the Ukrainian Environmental Humanities Network, an interdisciplinary space for the academics, practitioners and artists who define this emerging field.
