In Oscar-shortlisted ‘Once Upon a Time in Ukraine’, children try to cope with a devastating war

Ruslan, an 8-year-old boy living in a war-torn Ukrainian village, drops a fishing line into a puddle of water and waits patiently for a bite. Your fishing hole is man-made.

“A missile fell here and formed a hole,” he calmly mentions in the documentary shortlisted for the Oscar. Once upon a time in Ukraine. “And then it rained and… it flooded and formed a big pond.”

The short film, constructed as a series of vignettes about children growing up in war zones in Ukraine, is directed by Oscar nominee Betsy West (RBG).

“Ruslan has his staff and is fishing in a pond created from a Russian bomb attack… He hopes that somehow some fish got in there,” West says. “I mean, it’s so sweet. “That’s what really moved me when I saw this footage, was the incredible way that children process these horrible circumstances.”

The film project originated with producer Earle Mack, a filmmaker, businessman and former US ambassador to Finland, whose origins can be traced back to Ukraine.

“He went to the border shortly after the Russian invasion. And he was really impressed by the courage of the Ukrainian people, but also by the experience of children, refugees or just children trapped behind the front line,” explains West. “So, he hired a camera crew, which turned out to be an extremely talented camera crew, to travel around the country and film with families and children… Earle contacted me and asked me to look at some of this material.”

“You see images of war and you see scenes of devastation. (in other films),” West continues. “I have never seen these kinds of calm moments of children behind the front lines, talking about their experiences in such a moving way and showing that kind of creativity and resilience, sometimes denying what is happening and just carrying on. “I felt very moved.”

The film begins with Ivanna, a girl from a rural area of ​​the Kherson region, leading a camera crew up the stairs to the basement of her family’s home. She describes how she huddled there for 256 days while Russian forces attacked the area, a testimony some viewers may be reminded of. The diary of Anne Frank.

“Every morning we heard machine gun and tank shots,” he says. “And I heard them (Russian troops) walking and chatting, and we were silent. It was terrifying because they could come in and find us, because they could just come in and throw hand grenades into the basement. “They didn’t even check if there were people here or not.”

During that nearly year-long period underground, Ivanna wrote and illustrated stories of Ukrainian heroism, stories with a fairy-tale quality that inspired the film’s title. Once upon a time in Ukraine.

“You’re with these kids in their world,” West says of the film, “you just go to these different places and visit these kids who, through the arts, through their creativity, their righteous way of processing, are helping Let’s experience what it’s like to go through this.”

In February of this year, the war will enter its fourth year. During that time, more than 600 children have died, according to UNICEF, and many more have been injured. From the first day of the war, the main target of the Russian invaders has been civilians.

“Also in the Ivanna area, they have been persecuted recently; “There’s been a current surge of drones just going after civilians, chasing them and shooting them,” West tells Deadline. “What they have been experiencing is horrible.”

In addition to Ruslan and Ivanna, Once upon a time in Ukraine Follow Maksym, a 10-year-old boy who excels at ballroom dancing. His mother expresses fear that one day Maksym and his older brother will have to take up arms in defense of Ukraine. Meanwhile, eight-year-old Myroslava describes her escape from Mariupol, one of the first cities besieged by Russia.

“I just wanted to drive to freedom,” he says. “Before I never knew what war was.”

Her beloved father, seen in family movies doting on Myroaslava, joined the Ukrainian army and reports are coming that he died in battle. Still, Myroslava clings to hope.

“Myroslava was really convinced that her father would return. You don’t want to deny that. It’s like, Oh my God, whatever holds you together, hold on to that,” West observes. “(She says) ‘Maybe he had a concussion and forgot about us for a while.’”

Care was taken not to re-traumatize the children featured in the documentary, the director notes. The camera crews “spent several days with each of the families getting to know them and making sure that they were talking and sharing what they wanted to share and that they were not being forced in any way, by these children or their parents, to do so. this,” says West. “In the cases of the children we focused on…they were families and children who really wanted to share this experience.”

In a week, President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in. It remains to be seen what impact that will have on the war in Ukraine.

“It’s obviously a very critical moment,” says West, who emphasizes that she does not consider herself an expert on war. “These people have been fighting and dying for an independent democratic nation, and now they are waiting to see what the incoming administration is going to do. A lot of people are talking about some type of resolution, and I think that’s what President-elect Trump has said, that he wants a quick resolution. The real question is under what terms and what commitments do they have to make?”

And he adds: “It’s amazing. No one expected the Ukrainian people to stand up to Russia as they have, and they cannot be ruled out. We will have to see, if there is peace, what kind of peace is it?”

Once upon a time in Ukraine He played for the IFC in New York. Broader release plans are pending. “We actually have an offer we’re considering,” says West, “and we hope the movie will be released soon. So that’s our plan.”