The Blue Sweater With a Yellow Hole

Runtime: 90'

Expected release: January, 2026

Production stage: Development

Budget: €911 185 (20% in place)

1st feature: No

Looking for: Gap Financing, Impact Partners, Co-Producers, Good people

Synopsis:

Contouring propaganda manipulation in the modern world, the story follows Ukrainian children Kira (10), Taisa (14), and Artem (15) and 50 supporting children characters as they paint memories of their time in Russian ‘re-education’ camps. The animated scenes immerse the viewers into the children’s shifting identity experiences. What seems at first like a thrilling time without parents shifts to evoking memories about propaganda events, mental torment, punishments, isolation and military training.

 

 

 

Director’s profile:

Tetiana Khodakivska is an award-winning Ukrainian filmmaker who challenges pressing social issues by daring mix-media projects. Her bonticing, Sugary Boundless or Song and Dance about Death (2018) that was premiered at the Ji.hlava Film Festival, won two special mentions at Docudays UA, and nominated as best documentary at the Ukrainian Film Academy Awards. Particularly, Tetiana is interested in examining society from children’s perspective. Among her other awards, is Gold Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival for the period mini-series Angels of War (2013), which follows the stories of siblings during the Second World War; and Ukrainian Film Academy Award for Best Editing for an adventure feature film for children Foxter and Max (2020).

Producer’s profile:

Elena Saulich (Pronto film, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian producer and member of Babylon’13 – a Ukrainian collective of independent filmmakers, who share common values of promoting positive change in society. Among Elena’s films: A Poen for Little People, directed by Ivan Sautkin – feature documentary (premiered at CPH:dox 2024, national premiere at Molodist IFF 2023), Ukraine, Lithuania, UK, 2023. Supported by: Esfuf, Lithuanian Film Centre, Prime Choice Award at EBS Commissioning Pitch, CinéDOC-Tbilisi Film Support Award; Defiant, directed by Karim Amer – feature documentary (premiered at Toronto IFF 2023), UK, USA, Ukraine, 2023; Petrol Statiom, directed by Yuliia Hontaruk – fiction drama (development) supported by Goteborg Film Fund, Ukrainian Culture Fund; The Bobot, directed by Maxym Ksjonda – feature sci-fi for children, Ukraine, 2018; Supported by Ukrainian State Film Agency.

Martin Vandas (MAUR Film, Czech Republic). MAUR Film was a founding member of the Association of Czech Animation Film (ASAF) and since 2007 is a member of the Audiovisual Producers‘ Association. Martin Vandas is an Oscar® nominated Producer of Daughter by Daria Kashcheeva, 8 feature animated films, several short animated films, documentaries and TV review programs with hundreds of awards incl. student Oscar, Crystal of Annecy and others. A member of The European Film Academy, an expert for the Czech Film Fund and the Slovak Audiovisual Fund and a lecturer at FAMU in Prague. He also takes part in the activities of the international platform CEE Animation to support the animated film industry in Central and Eastern Europe.

Johann Chapelan (Girelle Production, France). Incepted in 2006 and based in Orleans, Paris and Nice, Girelle is producing documentary, animation and multimedia, with more than 80 creative documentaries on arts, drawing, music, painting, architecture, and social and environmental issues. It started Asian feature coproductions with Rehana (2021) which was the first Bangladeshi film selected in the Cannes official selection, and I, The Song by Dechen Roder (Bhutan). Other co-productions involve Taiwan, Georgia, Lebanon, Kirghizstan, Philippines and Vietnam, mostly about memory, popular history, minority issues, and social and women’s rights.