Holodomor: the Cookie
Please consider donating to help a young filmmaker Olena Maksymova of Great Britain to complete her very moving short animated film based on a Holodomor survivor’s childhood memory.
Also, please share!
A clip of this film is available at the link below. Ms. Maksymova’s personal motivation for making the film, the film’s synopsis and related information is available below.
The full version is almost 6 min long; makes a strong impact – particularly in conveying the concepts of loving compassion as well as of the feeling of hunger; has potential for use in middle & high school….
Take a look for yourself!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/holodomor-cookie-short-animation#/
Synopsis
Ukraine, 1933, during the famine-genocide of Ukraine commonly known as Holodomor. Every day, in order to survive, the child had to travel a long distance to a place where if fortunate she could receive a bowl of soup. One day as a special treat to celebrate Lenin’s birthday, children were given a small cookie. 4 years girl decides to save the treat for her starving mother.
Director statement
The main idea of film is to give a spectator an atmosphere of last minutes that mother and daughter spent together, their love and empathy.
Technique used for film is oil pastel on backlit acetate, chosen to convey a sense of authenticity through strong and appealing texture. The song used in the film is a traditional Ukrainian lullaby, performed by Marita Vaskova, my mom who is daughter of the main protagonist.
What We Need & What You Get
“HOLODOMOR. Cookie” is in postproduction right now. We need to hire a professional sound designer to create a sound environment for the film. The film highly depends on sound design, as there is no dialog. Sound design is crucial for the emotional journey of the little girl.
We want to get “HOLODOMOR. Cookie” the exposure it merits on the festival circuit. Costs here are for submission fees and travel, as needed.
The Impact
I feel it is a very important mission to spread the word about HOLODOMOR. My grandmother’s story is not unique, Almost every Ukrainian family could give an account of their loved one who either lost their parents or died in the famine, artificially created by the Soviet Union in 1932-1933
If you want to read further about HOLODOMOR, please visit:
Please note: This film is not “about” the Holodomor – rather it is a survivor’s memory reimagined for the screen. Film creator Olena Maksymova created a visualization of a childhood experience during the Holodomor that she heard from her grandmother, who was 4 when her own mother died of starvation. The clip seen via the link provides a sense of the tone and technical style of how the actual story is presented in the full length (5:39 min) film.
For details about Holodomor: the Cookie’s availability, etc., please contact: olenamaksymova@hotmail.com