SYNOPSIS
BERDYANS´K | SHORT FILM
What if…
Instead of a zoom call to friends and colleagues – a hacker had stumbled across a way to use video-conferencing technology to connect with the other side. How would we use it? What would we say?
This is the inspiration for our story of Lera, a young Ukrainian refugee who has recently reached Ireland, who, fearing the worst, uses the dark-web séance software (The Orb) to discover that her sister Maryna has died in the conflict back home. Through The Orb she makes contact – and discovers that her sister Maryna is disoriented and stuck in an after-death limbo, based around the beach that they went to as children. The beach is in Berdyans’k – an Azov Sea resort currently under Russian occupation. Together, the sisters must find a way to come to terms with what has happened and find a way for both of them to move on…
GALLERY
DIRECTOR´S STATEMENTS
Tom Hopkins
I spent a number of months over a 2 year period in Lviv, Ukraine before the war. I made friends, loved the people, the culture, the vitality and the sense of optimism and possibility that permeated the air there. And also the deep unease and distrust about Russia. The moment the invasion started in Feb 2022, the dread and horror was instant, as I knew, as did Ukraine, the death and terror that was coming.
Kateryna Paida
"Berdans'k" was for me a great opportunity to reflect my own experience of being a refugee but deciding to return to Ukraine. I had left my country, my family and friends and moved to Ireland to be safe, but I felt safety alone wasn't enough to continue living a full life. So, working on this project with Tom and the great team was a chance to think about the afterlife with hope and faith - where every hero will find their place and peace, but we, who stayed alive, should fight to the last.
CAST
MUSIC
Hadanotschka - LELÉKA
Ти б не повірила - Dity Inzheneriv
COMPANY: One Productions | DURATION: 16 min | GENRE: Drama / Supernatural
"We truly feel that BERDYANS'K is a wonderful addition to the festival program and a very interesting and creative storyline"
Jude Blackburn - Festival Director - Chicago Irish Film Festival
"An absolutely amazing piece of work and I am so glad we can show it at Cinequest"
Chris Garcia - head of short film programming for Cinequest
"The committee was fascinated by the 21st century concept of closure using virtual reality."
CIFF Programming team
CREDITS – BERDYANS’K
CAST
Lera Julia Vyshnevska
Maryna Yana Koroliova
Ella Anne Cruzado Malagotnot
Jill Arlene Morris
Dora Noelle Clarke
CREW
Director of Photography Andrew Gregory
Production Co-ordinator Joanna Kelly
Costume Designer Lauren Murphy
Gaffer Philip Bond
Sound Recordist Pablo Perez
1st Assistant Camera Rowan Sherrard
2nd Assistant Camera Owen Behan
Hair & Makeup Artist Oksana Schelling
Production Designer Lea Stettler
Props Meghan Mickela
Data Wrangler & BTS Blaise Robinson
Grip David Murphy
Dialog Coach Laura Hopkins
POST PRODUCTION
Film Editor Maryna Dymshyts
Colourist Leandro Arouca
Sound Design & Mix Pablo Perez
Visual Effects Aki
Online Mark Gilleece
Music Hacker Tom Hopkins
WRITERS
Story by Kataryna Paida
Tom Hopkins
Sophia Lyons
Ted Endo
Jonathan Dungan
Script by Tom Hopkins
Ukrainian Script Kataryna Paida
MUSIC
Hadanotschka Written and performed by Leleka
You Wouldn’t Believe Written and performed by Dity Inzheneriv
Thanks to
Joanne Bisset, Jacqui Rogers, and all the crew at Irish Rail. Colin, Nicole & John at Film Equipment Hire. Taff Gillingham at Khaki Devil. The Shoreline Hotel. Chriona O’Sullivan at The Element.
Director Ukraine Kateryna Paida
Producer Ciaran Grace
Director Tom Hopkins