The film follows 10-year-old Oleh, whose life has been turned upside down by the ongoing war in East Ukraine. Oleh lives with his beloved grandmother Oleksandra in a small house in a village on the frontline. Most people have left the village, but Oleh and Oleksandra love their life together there, and want to stay on and take care of each other. But life is becoming more and more difficult and the war does not seem to end.
Simon Lereng Wilmont graduated as a documentary film director from the National Film School of Denmark in 2009. He holds a BA in Japanese. His film Above the Ground, Beneath the Sky won Best Short at Vision du Réel, Dormitory Master won the Gold Panda award at the Sichuan TV Festival. His first feature documentary, Travelling with Mr. T, was co-directed with Andreas Dalsgaard and nominated for a Nordic Dox Award. Wilmont has also directed the documentaries Chikara – The Sumo Wrestler’s Son, which was screened at a number of international festivals, and The Distant Barking of Dogs, which was selected for competition at IDFA.
Selected: Ramona's Journey (2004), Above the Ground, Beneath the Sky (2008), Dormitory Master (2009), Travelling with Mr. T (2012), Chikara – The Sumo Wrestler’s Son (2014)