My birthplace is Kyiv, Ukraine, but I moved to Edinburgh, Scotland when the Russian war against Ukraine started.
I was fortunate enough to be a part of Woody Allen's film "Rifkin's Festival," which was shot in San Sebastián, Spain in 2019. I was inspired and motivated to pursue my career as a writer and director after having the amazing chance to observe a professional filmmaker and screenwriter working on his film. I have been creating screenplays and attending international film festivals ever since.
Filmography:
The short film "SHADOWS" (2023) tells the dramatic story of a mother and her 10-year-old daughter being forcibly separated, and is devoted to the deportation of Ukrainian children by the Russians.
The short film "VALISE" (2023) centers on a 7-year-old boy who hides from a missile attack and tries to recall memories by packing them in his suitcase in case he needs to flee his home and become a refugee. Memories are something he will never get back.
The short animation "Ball of yarn=Trust" (2024) is now in editing and is about trust between people and whether we can regain it once lost. The project is based on my poem with the same title.
Following the links, you can watch trailers of the films:
https://vimeo.com/831600604?share=copy
https://vimeo.com/838404143?share=copy
Films Valise and Shadows are being screened in various places across the UK, including Scottish Parliament, Scottish Storytelling Center, Cameo Picturehouse.
Short Interview film “Shadows”
Your film employs a distinct visual style and storytelling technique. How do you balance artistic innovation with effectively communicating your message to audiences?
When I work on my films, I just follow the mental structure in my head. I write the screenplay and then work on visualizing each scene (sound effects, visuals, actors etc.). Every single day of pre-production, production, post-production, the project is in my head and I mentally play with ideas, figuring out what is the best for the project. Maybe it sounds abstract, but things and ideas just come into my head and so far, it all works.
What was it like working with a young person for this film?
It was superb. When I saw a photo of Mia, I just felt and knew it should be her. And I am really happy that she agreed to act in my film. She is a very wise and extremely talented girl. In terms of time management, we had to be very careful because young people of that age can work only 4 hours per day, and we had to have breaks 15–20 minutes after every hour, also we had to shoot all types of shots (close-ups, extreme close-ups, medium shots etc., which is really time-consuming and every time you have to change the lenses and fix lighting etc.). But everything worked very well and we managed to have enough shots to cover all scenes the way I wanted.
Your film "Shadows" explores the forced separation of a mother and daughter. Can you speak to the emotional resonance of this narrative and how it reflects broader societal issues?
The film is dedicated to the deportation of Ukrainian children by Russians and the main goal is to speak about this issue and to show this tragedy, and explore the feelings of both child and parent. Of course, this has big consequences on mental and physical health, which lead to broader societal issues in different areas.
How has the reception of your films influenced your perspective on storytelling and its ability to create social impact?
I always have a very clear vision of my projects. I just know how my films should look and what elements to use to appeal to viewers' minds and hearts. The positive reception of my films Shadows and Valise encourages me to keep making new projects to create a social impact that, hopefully, will lead to positive changes.
Olga, your film "Shadows" explores themes of separation and loss. How do you hope your film fosters empathy and understanding towards those affected by similar circumstances?
Shadows is fiction film and contains a good and clever combination of different elements, which can foster empathy. I believe that fiction films are a powerful tool for this and, also, I believe that I did my film the way it really touches human hearts. It’s vital to touch the hearts of the viewer because it gives a different perspective on the situation and makes people think or reconsider various factors and, hopefully, it will motivate and encourage them to help us in this difficult battle to get our children back, so they have a future and can feel happiness again.
Besides spreading awareness, how can people help with this cause?
Ideally, to create an initiative (association etc.) that will involve people (lawyers, solicitors, activists, artists etc.) who are willing to collaborate and organize relevant events that will facilitate the return of all our children.
To know more about Olga:
https://filmfreeway.com/OlgaNiekrasova
https://cannesfilmawards.com/interviews/olga-niekrasova
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15129297/
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