“Sunflower Field” by Polina Buchak
With this award-winning film we explore the impact war and conflict have on young children, and show that children have both the agency and ability to connect with the complexities of life. This is also a film about finding hope in the midst of loss and fear.
FROM THE DIRECTOR:
“I wrote the first draft of Sunflower Field in January 2022 with the aim to explore the impact war and conflict have on young children. After February 24th, 2022, what I could only hope would stay as a story told has become a lesson learned for millions of children in Ukraine today. It’s been over 2 years since Russia’s full-scale invasion on Ukraine and 10 years since the beginning of this war. On July 8, 2024, Russia shelled the largest children’s hospital Okhmatdyt in Kyiv. Over 19,000 Ukrainian children have been deported/forcibly displaced because of Russia. The journey that the young girl in the animation goes through represents the nightmare experienced by the children who had to face something as terrifying as war. At the same time, it explores the fear of losing home, fear of losing control over our own lives, and how important it is to battle that fear within ourselves in order to keep going. The girl not only represents children around the world, but also serves as a symbol of an individual's inner-child that is triggered when safety and comfort is removed. My hope is that this short reminds us that children shouldn’t have to exchange their childhoods in order to teach us all a lesson of bravery, courage, and resilience. We must act now to preserve their future.”
-Polina Buchak
CREDITS:
Director/Writer/Producer// Polina Buchak/ @ms_buchak
Producer// Camila Grimaldi (Ser Nocturna) @camilagrimaldi_ @sernocturna
EPs// Shruti Ganguly/ @shrutirya @Honto88 , Rachel Kessler/ @rchlksslr , Ivanna Sakhno/ @ivannasakhno
Animator// Mulan Fu/ @mulan.fu
Assistant animator// Julia Wang/ @juliacwang
Sound Designer & Mix// Serzh Avdeev/ @serzh_avdey
Music Courtesy of Maryna Krut/ @bandura_krut
Music supervisor// Brittany Douziech/ @brittanydouziech
Voice Talent// Katia Chapin/ @katia.chapin , Polina Buchak/ @ms_buchak
News Archive courtesy of Voice of America (Ukraine) @holosameryky
Send Us Your Films
Hey filmmakers! Have a project of your own you’d like us to check out?