Film about Ukrainian youth living through war to be screened at Toronto International Film Festival
A film about Ukrainian youth by American director James Marcus Haney, with Sean Penn serving as executive producer, will be screened at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Details: The film, Black Sunflowers, explores the coming of age of Ukrainian young people who, during the war, move between underground raves and car races.
Haney captured a military truck driver speeding through city streets on his way home, a young serviceman with an amputation dancing at a rave, a photographer who previously captured nature but now works as a war photographer, and a woman learning to shoot a rifle.
The director said that during his first visit to Ukraine, he was surprised by the way Ukrainians live amid the war.
"I was surprised to see how much normal life carried on, despite the war. I couldn't help but think that mainstream media is missing half of the story," Haney said in a statement on the TIFF website.
The film's co-producers are Ukrainians Volodymyr Yatsenko, Anna Yatsenko (ForeFilm) and Yevhenii Zdorovylo.
The TIFF has been held annually in Canada since 1976. It was founded as the "Festival of Festivals", bringing together the best films from film festivals around the world. This year's festival will run from 10 to 20 September.
American actor Sean Penn has visited Ukraine numerous times since the start of the full-scale invasion. He also made the film Superpower about Ukraine.
The film follows Penn as he travels to Ukraine to learn more about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was initially intended to be an entertainment film, but as events unfolded, it was transformed and dedicated to the war in Ukraine.
Filming began in early 2021. Penn even travelled to Ukrainian troops in Donbas. In February 2022, the director was also in Ukraine and experienced the start of Russia's full-scale invasion there.
Sean Penn also appeared in one of the stories of the film Animals in War. He played a sound producer who accidentally witnesses the beginning of the war. The story, titled Eagle, was directed by Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi. Sean Penn appeared in the film for one dollar.
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