fiction feature film
Serhii is on a binge after his divorce when war comes to his town for the 2-nd time in 8 years. He is relieved his daughter is vacationing in Egypt with his ex and her "new dad". One day, this man calls Serhii: "I'll take care of your family, and you take care of mine there. They have no one to help them." Serhii walks across the city to the dangerous district where the doctor's ex and her 14-year-old daughter Marichka live. The woman goes missing after shelling, and Marichka is forcibly evacuated to Russia. Serhii decides to follow the girl. He goes through imprisonment, a filtration and a refugee camps, and ends up in Russia, where the war is like a reality show on TV. Serhii lives with relatives who support the war and secretly searches for Marichka. It turns out the girl has been adopted by a public politician and is turned into a "poster child from Donbas". Serhii comes up with a plan to take Marichka to Europe, but he has to convince the traumatized and angry girl to trust him.
CREATIVE TEAM
ANASTASIIA LODKINA, scriptwriter
Screenwriter, showrunner, director, and creative producer
Work experience in the industry: 22+ years, since 2014 – screenwriter and creative producer, FILM.UA
Selected filmography:
2024 – Two Sisters, creative producer. UA-Polish film (post-production). 2023 – Those Who Stayed, concept author, showrunner, writer of 3 episodes. 6 episode co-production anthology series (FILM.UA, Red Arrow Studios, SVT, YLE, NRK). The series has been shown in 30+ countries worldwide and on Netflix in 19 countries
2022 – Koza Nostra, concept author, screenwriter, director of the Ukrainian version (FILM.UA and Pepito Produzioni for RAI Cinema, Italy)
2022 – The Best Weekend, screenwriter, creative producer
2020–2021 – Host of the podcast U mene bulo
Second unit director of TV films: Don’t Rush into Love, Not Lonely. Chief editor of TV program Impostors and the diaries of Fabryka Zirok, screenwriter Song of the Year
Awards (selected): 2023, Those Who Stayed won the C21 International Drama Award; finalist for Best Marketing Initiative Award, Series Mania; included in the series guide of K7 Drama Report; submitted for an Emmy Award
2021, U mene bulo podcast received the Slyshno Award, Best Interview
HANNA ELISEEVA, producer
Producer, screenwriter, media marketer Work experience in the industry: 22+ years, since 2014 – producer, FILM.UA. Selected filmography (feature films): False Flag (development, co-pro with ATM, Poland) 2023 – Mavka: The Forest Song (animated film). The most successful UA film of all time, it is one of the biggest hits in the world of indie animation, UA BO: 156 mln UAH, Worldwide BO: $21+ mln. 2022 – The Best Weekend BO: 10.3 million UAH, admissions: 90,616. 2018 – Crazy Wedding BO: 54.9 million UAH, admissions: 657,720.
TV series: Producer 2023 – Those Who Stayed (FILM.UA, Red Arrow Studios, SVT, YLE, NRK), aired in 30+ countries worldwide and on Netflix in 19 countries. Other projects: The New One, Doctor on Call 1-3, Dr. Baby Dust 1-3. Awards (selected): 2023: Mavka: The Forest Song – Nominee Ukrainian Award Kinokolo. Best Animated Film; Animagrad Studio, Producer of the Year, Cartoon Media; Those Who Stayed, won the C21 International Drama Award and became The Finalist in Series Mania’s Best Marketing Initiative Award. The project was featured in the K7 Drama Report by K7 Media and was submitted for an Emmy Award; nominee for National Teletriumph Award in Producer of Series