Katya Soldak was born and grew up in Ukraine and now lives and works in New York City. She’s watched Ukraine exit the Soviet Union and go through two revolutions, and now war. The Long Breakup is an insightful, intimate and urgently timely look at the geopolitical turmoil of Katya’s homeland seen through a personal lens.
Soldak, editorial director for Forbes Magazine’s international editions, tells the story of her home country and the momentous events that have transformed it through the eyes of her family and friends in Kharkiv, which is just 18 miles from the Russian border. The Long Breakup explores what it’s like for an immigrant to watch her country go through multiple crises from afar and reflects on what happens when democracy slips away and a nation must fight for the right to choose its future. Shot over the course of ten years, the film focuses on Ukraine’s struggle to escape Russia’s embrace, leave its Soviet past behind and become a truly independent nation. It is also a painful reminder of how Putin’s war against Ukraine reaches across the world — all the way from Kharkiv to Brooklyn.
Director Biography
Born and raised in Ukraine, Katya Soldak graduated from the Columbia School of Journalism and currently works as an editorial director for Forbes Magazine’s international editions. Previously, she worked in documentary production at CBS News Productions and various production houses in New York City.