XYZ Films Boards North American Sales on Ukraine War Screenlife Drama ‘StayOnline’ (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Christopher Vourlias XYZ Films has acquired North American sales rights to “StayOnline,” from Ukrainian director Anton Skrypets, which uses the innovative Screenlife format to tell the story of a young Kyiv woman who risks her life to help a boy whose parents have gone missing after the Russian invasion. “StayOnline” was co-written by Skrypets and Eva Strelnikova, who also served as director of photography.

It was produced by Marina Kvasova and Alla Lypovetska of the Organization of Ukrainian Producers (OUP). The film begins when a young woman volunteering in Kyiv is given one of the thousands of laptops donated by ordinary Ukrainians to support the war effort.

She’s asked to install a sensitive military application and deliver the laptop to her brother serving on the frontline. But the woman receives a mysterious video call from a young boy searching for his father, the laptop’s previous owner, who went missing during the Russian army’s brutal massacre of innocent civilians in Bucha.

Reluctantly, she agrees to help find his missing parents — a decision that will ultimately force her to risk the lives of her own loved ones. “StayOnline” was made using the Screenlife format, which takes place almost entirely on characters’ smartphones and computer screens.