Hoping to shine the light of hope on the disastrous effects of the Ukraine War, Save the Children has teamed up with BAFTA award-winning director Jonathan Hodgson (Roughhouse, The Man with the Beautiful Eyes) and Ukrainian illustrator Anna Ivanenko to produce Margarita’s Story, a heart-wrenching animated film presenting the perilous journey of ten-year-old girl’s flight from Mariupol, Ukraine in March of 2022.
Per a Save the Children press release, the U.N. has now confirmed more than 24,000 civilian deaths since February 2022, including more than 1,500 children stuck in the constant crossfire and injured or killed. Margarita’s Story exposes the tremendous daily risks faced by children as a result of deadly contamination via explosives, unexploded ordnance (UXOs), and landmines.
The black-and-white short depicts the unsettling tale of a family seeking shelter beside the Drama Theatre, luckily avoiding the doomed building hours prior to it being bombed, an event which apparently killed hundreds of women and children staying out of the conflict by hiding inside.
“Most of my work is about the war, as I use it to spread the truth about what is happening to my country, to tell our story in Ukraine,” says the Kyiv-based artist Ivanenko in a statement. “I chose the project as Mariupol is one of the biggest tragedies, and children are the most vulnerable people in this war. You can’t imagine what impact this will have on them in the future, my heart is bleeding when I hear about their suffering.”
This poignant film premieres at the international policy institute, London’s Chatham House, just before the Ukraine Recovery Conference is scheduled there on June 21-22, 2023.
“It has been a humbling experience and a great honor to collaborate with Anna on Margarita’s Story,” states Hodgson. “Unfazed by the turmoil of the war in her country, she has worked tirelessly and created some incredibly powerful and emotional images for the film. Undoubtedly, her direct experience of the war and her eye for detail has brought a level of authenticity and integrity to the animation, which would not have otherwise been possible.”
Learn more about the artist here: www.instagram.com/anaivan/
You can watch the short below:
