Filmmaker Statement

In the summer of 2022, our team saw a graduation photoshoot at the backdrop of destroyed by Russia missile strikes buildings. Pictures of young people in festive clothes destroyed by war landscapes impressed us so much that we decided to make a documentary about teenagers’ stories. Nine pupils of Chernihiv’s school have been preparing for their dream graduation since the beginning of the 2021 academic year: they sew dresses and learn the waltz. But the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine interrupts their plans. Teenagers live in basements with their families, stand in long lines for water and bread, and try to leave the city under fire. Chernihiv is under siege for one month, one week, and one day. This time changes young people, but they continue to dream of life and the graduation waltz. We made this film in order to draw the attention of the international community to the insecurity of children who found themselves in the midst of the Russian-Ukrainian war.