Fragile Memory

Director’s Introduction – Igor Ivanko

Fragile Memory is a film that deals with numerous topics, exploring a clash between public and personal memory, as well as a fight against losing memory through my family’s story. I was always worried about the reason why so many personal archives were thrown out or abandoned. Historically, there is no strong trend or habit of preserving cultural heritage in post-Soviet societies. People tend to measure their legacies by square meters of real estate or grandma’s jewellery; however their personal belongings – letters, photos, memorable items – usually end up at flea markets or even in the garbage bin.

On the other hand, we give value to things only when we start to lose them. I would never think that my grandpa, who is one of the most important people in my life, will start losing his memory. Grandpa didn’t keep a diary, instead, he was taking pictures. We live in a time when with pictures on the internet we frame the unofficial history of a social group, filtering by tags, dates and locations. However to really see the world, before social networks, it was only possible through private archives such as my grandpa’s. These are more honest and candid representations of the past than the magazines or newsreels of that time, that were edited through the framing of censorship.

My grandpa has Alzheimer’s. It means that his mind is falling apart, you can’t do anything with that and you can’t stop it. You can’t make a long conversation, because his short-term memory doesn’t work anymore. However, ‘Fragile Memory’ is an opportunity to discover how my grandfather’s inevitable process of forgetting, with his sense of self almost obliterated, sparked in me a wish to fight till the end for his memory and remembrance. When I found those negatives I realised that this is the key to reconnecting with him on a new level, the key to seeing something that was so close but remained undiscovered. Last but not least, creating ‘Fragile Memory’ and fighting against oblivion are my personal calls of duty. I can’t stop the fading of grandpa’s memory, but I will keep it in a film.