Thirteen years compressed into a single documentary: Apolonia, Apolonia follows a young painter's slow, uneven climb toward a life of her own making.
What is Apolonia, Apolonia about?
Director Lea Glob began filming Apolonia Sokol when she was still a student searching for a foothold in the art world, and kept the camera rolling for over a decade as that search stretched across countries, studios, and relationships. The film watches her navigate an industry that rarely makes room for young women on their own terms, weighing ambition against the everyday cost of pursuing it. Alongside her runs the story of a close friend, the Ukrainian artist and activist Oksana Shachko, whose own path unfolds against a backdrop of upheaval far larger than either of their individual careers. Glob doesn't resolve the tension between art and survival so much as sit inside it, letting years of footage accumulate into a portrait shaped as much by patience as by any single dramatic turn.
About the cast
Apolonia Sokol anchors the film as its subject, with Oksana Shachko featured prominently as her friend and creative counterpart. Alexandra Tlolka, Hervé Breuil, Stefan Simchowitz, and Mike White appear as figures who move through Sokol's orbit across the years the documentary covers.
Context & significance
Filmed across the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and Poland, Apolonia, Apolonia belongs to a small tradition of long-gestation documentaries where the shooting timeline itself becomes part of the story, rather than a production detail hidden from the audience. The film's international backing reflects how much ground it covers, following its subject through different countries and different phases of a career still being built in real time, rather than looking back on one already finished.
Watching Apolonia, Apolonia on Ktime
Apolonia, Apolonia is available on K-Time with a free account login, and comes with both Persian dubbing and Persian subtitle options for viewers who prefer to watch in Farsi. The film's page can be read in full without signing in; an account is only needed to press play.