Award-winning film 'Children on Fire' about Ukrainian children of war to debut in Ukraine
The Ukrainian gala premiere of the film "Children in Fire" by Ukrainian director Yevhen Afineevsky, a half-animation, half-documentary about the fate of Ukrainian children who survived and are still experiencing the war, which has already received five international awards, will take place on Thursday as part of the 16th Odesa International Film Festival at the Kyiv Zhovten Cinema.
At a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday, the film's authors, Afineevsky, and producer Halyna Sadomtseva-Nabaranchuk said that the film is about eight children who became victims of Russian attacks, were deported, injured and imprisoned.
"The film is about eight young Ukrainians who witnessed the horrors of war at a young age. About their dreams, which were destroyed by the aggression of the Russian regime... The film shows not only their suffering, but also the strength of spirit and unwavering faith in the future, which they maintain even after what they have experienced. This is not a diary of horrors, but rather a celebration of the human spirit of children. The endurance, strength and ability of Ukrainian children to overcome these tragedies and losses make each story a great inspiration for everyone," the press release says.
The world premiere of the film took place on June 20 at the 33rd Raindance Film Festival, where the jury immediately awarded the film a special distinction. At the 64th Monte Carlo Television Festival, the film received a special jury award and a special AMADE prize for supporting the organization's main mission: protecting the most vulnerable children from violence, exploitation and abuse.
The film has already received more than five different awards. It was also screened in the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and before the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The press conference was also attended by, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Film Academy and CEO of Odesa Intern Anna Machukh and Nobel Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviychuk.
