EXCLUSIVE: WTFilms has acquired international sales rights for Ukrainian director and producer Egor Olesov’s timely drama The Daughter set in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
News of the acquisition comes as Ukraine marks the one thousandth day of the resulting war, which has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions and destroyed dozens of once flourishing towns and cities.
The Daughter blends family dynamics with the horrors of war through the story of a 17-year-old, hearing-impaired girl called Olga, who is staying with her father and his new family in the once sleepy town of Bucha outside Kyiv when the Russia invasion of Ukraine begins.
Before the family has time to flee, their home is occupied by Russian soldiers who subject them to a reign of terror including threats of death and rape. Previously at odds with her stepmother, Olga comes to understand she must put her differences aside as she faces unimaginable choices to protect her loved ones in a battle for survival.
The cast features Lisa Kozlova, Akhtem Seitablaiev (Homeward), Anastasia Karpenko (How Is Katia?), and Myron Shuvallov.
The film was shot on location in Bucha, which was the scene of real-life atrocities against civilians by Russian troops in February 2022, in a house that was occupied by the invading forces, which were forced to withdraw a month later.
Olesov used single-frame technology previously employed by the likes of Sam Mendes in 1917 and Alejandro González Iñárritu in Birdman, while the atmosphere is further enhanced by a haunting score from Italian composer Dario Vero, with contributions by cellist Tina Guo (Interstellar, Dune).
The Daughter world premiered at the Warsaw Film Festival in October and has since won Best Feature at the Oslo Film Festival in early November.
It is a feature directorial debut for Olesov, who is an acclaimed producer with credits including feature animation Mavka: The Forest Song, Diana Maria Olsson’ Let Me Go Home, as well as co-producer on Agnieszka Holland’s 2019 drama Mr. Jones, about the Ukrainian Famine in 1930s sparked by Josef Stalin’s political policies.
“It’s a reflection on the human capacity to endure and adapt, even when faced with the unimaginable. The Daughter explores how we find hope not in grand gestures, but in the smallest acts of courage and compassion,” says Olesov of his new film.
Olesov also produced the film with Olga Maksiuk under the banner of Heroes Films, the feature film and scripted series division of United Heroes Group. The feature is due to be released in Ukraine in 2025.
“With this acquisition, WTFilms expands its portfolio by bringing an important Ukrainian story to a global audience, marking a growing interest in cinema from Ukraine,” said Heroes Films in its release.
