The Plot
This is a story inspired by true events, about a girl who moved out of Ukraine, because of the war in her country. Upon arriving to Poland, in the camp, she meets with an older guy, who seems helpful and responsible and caring and helps hosting her for a night before she travels to her friend to another city. As events unfold, they seem to have found a friend in each other. But his past troubled experiences with women, and his life experiences, let his male ego come into this new relationship, which eventually takes a turn and a friendship which could have done well for both to start a new life, comes to an end.
FEATURE FILM That Girl from Ukraine
STARING Alesia Lifantii & Mohinder Sobti
ENGLISH LANGUAGE Feature Film / Subtitled (maybe even dubbed in Ukrainian)
GENRE Romantic, drama, like true story (18+)
ACTOR PRODUCER DIRECTOR Mohinder Sobti
STORY & SCREENPLAY Mohinder Sobti
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS A.A. Ashadevi, M.P. Singh
FILMING, EDITING & MUSIC Mohinder Sobti
SUBTITLES Karina Bilko, Mohinder Sobti
PHOTO & GRAPHICS Bobby Singh
CASTING by Elena Sousa
SPONSORS Swiss Watch Boutique, Handmade Leather Boutique, Hagardhs Foundation
Synopsis
During the Ukraine war since February 2022, many Ukrainians took refuge, where ever they could. Poland opened her doors, to welcome around 5 million by the end of July. Many Polish people and families, came to help Ukrainians, with food, shelter, medical care, and even to help start a new life. This story, might have happened one night, because, every one was trying their best.
Roy invites Alesia to stay a night at his place, making it clear that he lives alone, and, often stays out late for work, so his place is not neat and clean to welcome guests, but then, it’s worth to get a good night sleep, as she arrived by the last bus and the camps were crowded, and her next bus leaves early next morning. Alesia feels comfortable to be hosted in a studio apartment, which seems to be in mess, just like any single man would be living. There is a left over sandwich and some beer, which she does not mind taking a bit because, its late to order food, moreover, she just wants to get that sleep and visit her friend in the other city, to start her new life.
Roy asks if she would want to take a shower and gives her one of his shirt as she does not have any clothes with her. After shower, he asks if she wants to have some vodka, he had got as gift from a guy from Ukraine, he was helping some time ago. She usually does not drink Vodka, but, perhaps, that moment, she felt to go for it, after all, she just left her life behind her and has emotions to let go.
After vodka, she pours out her emotions and experiences about the war, and bursts out crying. Roy feels guilty having offered her the vodka which made her speak out her emotions. He hugs her and tries to calm her. Meanwhile, when she asks him, why do countries go for a war, he seems to have no answer to her deep question. Yet he speaks from his experiences, about war, being one of the most profitable business, together with politics. Thats why, that one country makes so much sense and gets all the support to rage a war. As we remember, since they dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki within a week, and ever since have been at war with almost the entire region in Asia, leaving a history with wars in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, the entire middle east, where they made noise to find weapons of mass destruction, but instead, found nothing, yet raged a war brutally changing regimes and dictating their terms and justifying their wars, while most of the countries globally stood supporting them. Not to let go those over 20 regime changes in South America and then over ten years of war in Afghanistan and then deciding to pack and leave, suddenly? It was kind of obvious, they needed another war to use their weapons and continue their global power game.
Roy says, these are true brutal and harsh reality, which the world has learnt to live with. Tomorrow she will travel to her friend and in some days she will forget him. And he will go back to his job, stitching bags. And soon, the world will forget this war, just like all others in the past.
Next morning, Roy makes coffee and they both have coffee and he gives her some money and shares the necessary information to her, about how she can travel to her friend to other city, mentioning that, the Polish government and it’s people are trying their best to help, in fact, she can travel all of Poland for free. She just needs to make a pass, which will be done on the spot. And, wishes her all the best and leaves for his works. Alesia thanks him, and finishes her coffee and takes the money and her bag and leaves.
Alesia returns with a bag of sandwich and a bottle of wine. She looks around the messy room and cleans up. She comes across Roy’s note book goes through some pages, and smiles to know he is a poet and philosopher. And realises he left his phone behind. She makes a smiling cartoon on the paper before leaving, and meanwhile, Roy comes back to take his phone.
Roy is happily surprised, to see she is home and she has cleaned up his place. She even got him a gift, wine and sandwich. He asks her why she did all that, she could have taken the money and left. She says, it’s her gratitude to him, after all, he shared his place and food with her for a night. How could she just take the money and go. She felt like doing something for him and at least, she could help clean up his room.
Roy requests her to stay for sometime and have the wine with him. He has been single for long and, he wouldn’t know who to drink that bottle of wine with. Alesia agrees. Roy asks if he can gift her a dress, which he has from one of his works. He is a low budget advertising producer and independent gorilla filmmaker and often has accessories, with him, after the shoot. Alesia is happy to hear especially because she has no clothes, when she left, she could just take a bag and some essentials. And is eager to hear about him, because she is a struggling actress and they both seem to be excited to meet and discuss about their life story. The Universe for sure, knows, best, and they want to share and learn from their experiences. Alesia suggest she wear the dress he gifts her and they both have wine and talks.
Roy makes some phone calls to his works, meanwhile, Alesia, wears the dress and comes and they both greet each other respectfully and drink wine and talk about their life story, struggles and experiences. Meanwhile, after some wine and humorous talks, they both end up romancing together and elegantly get involved in a romantic moment, feeling the bliss of having found a friend in each other.
The next morning, Alesia seems happy, perhaps she sees a beginning of a new life. Roy wakes up and feels uncomfortable and he is silent. Alesia is wearing the dress Roy gifted her and makes the coffee and comes to serve the coffee and is eager to know how things will unfold. Roy, seems to not able to accept the happening, perhaps his past experiences with women and broken relationships has left a trauma in him. And after a long silence, all he says is, “so is this how you wanted”.
And then, Alesia is silent. She sips her coffee, gets up and leaves. She returns back to the room, now wearing her clothes. She returns the dress Roy had gifted her, returns the left over money, looks at the room, looks at him, there are tears in her eyes … and she leaves …..
The film has an open ending, leaving the audience, to feel the emotions.
A woman who left her past, because of a war which tore her nation apart, found a chance to start a new life. And a man, who is not yet, able to let go the trauma of his past experiences with women, and, cannot accept the beauty of the present, to be able to make a life for future.
This story is about two characters, from two different nations and culture and different perspectives. While, we see their lives from our point-of-view, its they, who know best, how they feel those moments they are in.
More about the film and its making;
A story actually inspired by talking to Alesia Lifantii. Because, starting up as an independent gorilla filmmaker, wasn’t easy. No matter how much passion, how much well prepared one is, when your challenges are working with squeezed budgets, and without a portfolio, that very first step, that very first filmmaking, becomes challenging. I must admit, Alesia saw my passion for indie filmmaking and even said, “I see lots of passion in you sure, we must work on something together”. And that, inspired me to give my regards to her, and thus, this story happened.
It’s a story about that girl from Ukrain, who lost every thing she had in the war, and moved to another country seeking for a new life and coincidently meets a guy at the camp, who tries his best to be of help, which eventually unfolds to friendship and then that male ego which often leads to the drama in the story. This is our first part, and we surely hope to have a second version sometime sooner. Because, we want happy endings in life.
We finished filming in June 2022, and, around August 2022, the first cut for director and actress was made ready. Now this film will go through the final cut and eventually colour correction and sound engineering and hopefully an original score, before, its ready for screening between a small group and then, lets travel festivals with it.
We shall continue to share all updates here. So, follow us and be with us on our step to this new journey of our independent gorilla filmmaking. Because, together, we will be winners. Our goal, is to make meaningful and motivational content and be a part of your weekends, to chill together.
STATUS UPDATES
Our link for IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27866952/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Starting 14 May 2023, we have sent the film to few festivals, and shall share all future updates here on our website.
As of 31 December 2023; we have sent our film to 79 festivals in Europe, and the film has official selection in over 30 film festivals, won over 10 awards and, has over 1 honourable mention.
And, we keep walking steady ahead …
Stylish Indian 