Synopsis

Gloria Victoria unfolds on the still-smouldering rubble of the furious 20th century, propelled by the exalting “invasion” theme from Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony (No. 7). Resembling a military march with bolero overtones, the music sweeps over imagery of combat fronts and massacres, leading us from Dresden to Guernica, from the Spanish Civil War to Star Wars. Through a multitude of quotations, allusions and references, Theodore Ushev orchestrates a thundering nightmare in the name of peace.

Theodore Ushev

Theodore Ushev (1968, Kyustendil, Bulgaria) first made a name as a poster and graphic designer, before moving to Montreal in 1999. In the past 15 years, he has worked for the National Film Board of Canada. His creative biography contains more than 15 films, which brought him over 200 international awards, including an Oscar nomination for best animated short film for Blind Vaysha in 2017 and making it into the short list for the same award for The Physics of Sorrow in 2019. Physics of Sorrow won the Grand Prize - Crystal of Annecy in 2020.