DAD’S LULLABY
Director/Producer: Lesia Diak
Editor: Simon Mozgovyi
Ukraine I 72 min
SERHIY fought for his country and now he needs to fight for his family.
After spending three years defending Ukraine in the war against Russia, SERHIY returns home burned out and traumatized. He served as a commander and was responsible for other people's lives. Now he wants peace for himself and his family. The veteran starts working night shifts and dedicates short hours of rest to his three sons and wife. Serhiy enjoys this period of family reunion. However, the shadow of war starts manifesting when the couple find out they are expecting a baby daughter. This news brings more hope and responsibility for Serhiy. At first, he struggles a lot with maintaining his relationship, but eventually, and right after the baby is born, Serhiy cracks and leaves his family.
LESIA DIAK
LESIA DIAK is a Ukrainian documentary film director. With a master's degree in communications and a background in journalism, in 2017, Lesia graduated from the Serhiy Bukovsky Film Program in Kyiv. Since 2021, she has been studying documentary film directing through the international master’s program DocNomads. In 2022, Lesia received a grant from Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival for the short film UNDER THE WING OF A NIGHT. Lesia’s films are sensitive, intimate and uncomfortable, as she frequently explores themes such as mental health and healing.
Director’s statement
For me, the topic of relationships with people who have returned from the war is very personal. For two years in my private life I observed what was happening to a loved one who came back from war. This experience was key for the search of the protagonists, gaining their trust and having the patience to work on such a project for three years. I understood that it was necessary to bridge the gap between the people who defended Ukraine and their relatives, who waited at home and experienced serious troubles, worrying on a daily basis about the life of combat. This fear creeps deep into the subconscious, and even when a loved one is near, it does not disappear, but grows into a constant state of anxiety. The debate over the need for mental health care is even more relevant now. Moreover, at the state level in Ukraine, we still do not have a formal mental health rehabilitation program for veterans and their families.
Where are we at?
Production budget: 44.000,00 EUR
Needed for completion: 35.000,00 EUR
Territories available: Europe, South and North America
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