Ukraine’s Top Film Studio Became a Shelter for Those Fleeing War. Now, Its Staff Is Rallying for Industry Support
variety.comManori Ravindran International EditorStaff at Ukraine’s top studio, Film.UA, didn’t think much of the abandoned bomb shelter on site.
A vestige from past conflicts, the sealed shelter remained unused next to the company’s extensive wardrobe department for years.
But at the outbreak of war, the space was hurriedly reopened to host at least 90 Ukrainians taking cover from Russian air raids.Located on the outskirts of Kyiv, Film.UA — one of the largest production players in Eastern Europe — had been celebrating the premiere of one of its major film projects, “The Big Picnic,” the night before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb.
24. The champagne was flowing, celebrities were schmoozing and the team was celebrating a milestone for the company. “Some people had hangovers in the morning, and they woke up to the news of war,” says Kateryna Vyshnevska, head of development and co-production for Film.UA. “Some of our colleagues went to work as normal, but then that was also weird because you come to work and realize, ‘This is war.’”Everything stopped that day.
Read more on variety.com