Stefan Bugryn

WHAT IS HOLODOMOR?

You get a knock at your door one afternoon, and when you open it, you're greeted by an army officer who hands you a paper that says the government has seized your house. Not because you haven't paid your bills, not because you've committed a crime, but because they have decided that your owning property is against the law. Everything is now owned by them and will be distributed as they see fit. What do you do?

This happened to thousands of farmers in one of history's bleakest and almost forgotten periods. It is called

Holodomor

During the period between WWI and WWII, the Russian government, under Joseph Stalin, enacted a period of "collectivization". All the food in the country, from farm to table, was to be redistributed. Every apple, every pint of milk, every grain of wheat. This led to one of the worst famines in recorded history. 

In one year, at least 6 million people would die from this starvation.

(Holodomor monument in Kyiv)

THE STORY

The film follows the true story of one farmer who dared to say no. 

Maxim Ridnyanko, a cucumber farmer from the north-eastern Ukrainian town of Nizyhn, refused to give up his land. He was subsequently arrested by officials and shipped to a forced labour camp in the wintery hell of Siberia. The film recollects his arrest, his incarceration and escape, and his long journey home, all through the memories of his beloved granddaughter, Halyna.

(Screenshot from the film)

THE IMPORTANCE

Around the world there are few living survivors of this dark period, and thus the story begins to fade. But those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it, so says the poet, and in recent history we see the rise of such calls to let governments regulate by mandate. This project looks to bring back the voices of those who can caution against such actions.

On a more personal level, Stefan, in an attempt to connect with his ailing grandmother about her history, interviewed her about those dark times. Unfortunately, it was too late, though, and her dementia fragmented any possible memories, but it lit a fire in him to tell the story nonetheless. He began seeking out other survivors and, through the help of the members of the Ukrainian diaspora in Australia, found Halyna Hluchovera. The granddaughter of a cucumber farmer who said no.

Sadly during the documentary's filming, Halyna passed away, but before she did, she left us with three interviews that detail her memories of the time and those of her grandfather. Now we have the important duty to share her story so that the rest of us can learn the lessons of the past and hopefully not allow them to repeat.

THE ASK

Whilst interviewing Halyna we always had the impression that reenacting her memories in modern day Ukraine would give them life, and thus is the aim of this campaign. We will be traveling to Ukraine, hiring a Ukranian crew, to shoot this in the place it happened.

It will be aged to transport the viewers back to those times, with period outfits and an aged film stock appearance.

The recreations will bring to life Halyna's story, so we can see what is happening to Maxim onscreen. It also serves to heighten the emotion, as we watch the actors portray the emotion of the story, amongst the beautiful backdrop of traditional Ukrainian villages and forests

(Storyboard Example)

For an idea of the style, I've pieced together an example with stock footage to give you an idea; 

https://vimeo.com/821105837?share=copy

This crowdfunding campaign is to help us finish the final and most difficult block of shooting, that will bring this story to life in the best way possible. We have a plan to recreate the following scenes; 

> Maxim's homelife in Nizhyn

> Maxim's arrest 

> Life in the labour camp

> Maxim's escape and journey back home

We are asking for $10,000AUD 

THE TEAM

Stefan Bugryn - Director, Producer

Stefan is the proud grandson of Ukrainian grandparents, and active member of the Ukrainian community in Melbourne, Australia. In 2018, he won Best Director: Short Film Category at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival for the first instalment of his War Mothers documentary project. The film was officially backed and supported by Time Out Australia.

The second instalment, ‘War Mothers: Unbreakable’, was one of 63 shorts films selected out of over 5,100 to have it’s world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Stefan was nominated for Best Direction in a Documentary Short in the 2020 Australian Directors Guild Awards, and the film was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the 2019 AACTA awards.

Steven Zelko - Producer, Editor, and Director of Photography (Australian shoot)

Steven and Stefan collaborated together for the War Mothers documentary project. 

Steven holds a BA in Cinema and English from LaTrobe University, with post graduate studies at Victorian College of the Arts. He has been actively making films for the past 20 years working in fiction and non-fiction, education, music, and drama. He has made everything from a feature film about aliens, to a family program for the Victorian Government, to shooting Iron Maiden performing to a sold out audience at Rod Laver Arena. 

Sally Biasutti - Associate Producer, Story Consultant

Sally returns to collaborating with the War Mothers team on this project. 

Sally's background is in documentary, both in Australia and the UK. Favourite projects include: Blackfella Film's award winning Filthy, Rich and Homeless for SBS, Brown Cabs' Warburdar Bununu: Watershield for NITV, and Channel 4 UK’s Nelson Mandela Superstar. At Hey Buddy TV in London, Sally quickly worked her way up from assistant editor to Head of Post Production, remaining there for five adventure-filled years. 

Julian Knysh (Line Producer, Ukrainian Shoot)

Bio coming soon....

Tania Pidgaina - Producer, Production Manager (Ukrainian Shoot)

Bio coming soon....

Please note - 100% of the funds will go to Ukraine and Ukrainians; the Australian members of the team above will not be receiving any payments for this film. 

Whilst Halyna's story is incredibly important to preserve and share amidst the contemporary backdrop of Ukraine, this project also offers the opportunity to support Ukrianian creatives when they need it most. A lot of work has been delayed or cancelled due to difficulties with the war, so we want to create a project that will add to the new wave of Ukrainian cinema that has been developing over the past few years. 

The distribution of funds for this campaign will go the following roles;

Actors (x 10)

Producers

Production Assistants

Camera Department

Art Department

Location Manager

Accountant

The remaining funds will need to cover essential deliverables such as; 

Catering

Location Hire

Costume and Prop Hire

Transport

There will be many more expenses back in Australia which we haven't accounted for yet (sound design, music, editing, distribution, etc), so this campaign is just allow us to film the re-creations in Ukraine.