Description
2022. The two Ukrainian sisters Eugenia and Nastya are warmly welcomed in Munich after they have had to flee from their home country. They suddenly dive into a world full of sun, music and parties - as if they just landed on a paradise island. While Nastya tries to enjoy her new life, Eugenia struggles to celebrate while there‘s war at home. As a photographer, she refuses to take new pictures in Europe and notices that Nastya is slowly becoming a stranger to her. Now Eugenia has to learn how to deal with the place where she doesn‘t want to be.
Director Statement
This film is based on the story of my sisters. They are twins and were forced to flee from Kyiv in Spring 2022. Shortly after their arrival, I accompanied them to an interview at a high school in Munich. One of my sisters was very excited about the new place and the opportunities it offered. The second one burst into tears on the way home. This inner turmoil is a feeling that many refugees from Ukraine experience. I myself left my country in 2013 and had to observe the first wave of the Russian invasion from a distance. This is why I can identify very well with the feeling of guilt. May I still feel joy? Do I betray my people by continuing to lead a normal life in the paradise, that is called Germany, or is there a bigger strength in being able to continue functioning as if nothing had happened?
Director
Mykyta Gibalenko
Mykyta Gibalenko was born in Melitopol, Ukraine in 1993 and grew up in Kyiv. At the age of 20 he emigrated to Germany to study mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich. At the same time, he began making his own short films. After graduating from university and working as an engineer for a year, he changed his career to film and worked with the Munich independent theater scene, among others. Mykyta is now studying directing at the University of Television and Film in Munich.
