Noah is an experienced sapper who earned his nickname for his love for animals. On the front line, he rescues and trains abandoned dogs. However, a sudden attack by superior Russian forces puts him in a difficult moral dilemma – the lives of the dogs he saved and trained in explosive detection or the lives of the military unit, which consists solely of inexperienced recruits.

Marysia Nikitiuk

Marysia Nikitiuk graduated from Kyiv Karpenko-Karyi National University. Writes scripts for films since 2012. Her shorts as a writer have been in programs of such film festivals as Locarno, Clermont-Ferrand, Cairo IFF, TISFF, Golden Apricot etc… and awarded with numerous awards. In 2014, Marysia started to shoot her own films as a director and made three short films: IN TREES, MANDRAGORA and RABIES. Her first feature film WHEN THE TREES FALL was premiered at 68th International Berlin Film Festival in Panorama section in 2018. In 2019 film EVGE by Nariman Aliev, Marysia co-wrote, was premiered in Cannes Film Festival in Certain Regard section. Since April 2023, Marysia, together with the “Voices of Children” foundation, has been conducting storytelling courses with elements of art therapy for children and adolescents affected by the war. Based in Kyiv.

Filmography

2024 TRACES, documentary film by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk, co-director (in production)

2023 WHAT HAVE WE LOST, short film by Marysia Nikitiuk, director

2022 LUCKY GIRL, feature film by Marysia Nikitiuk, scriptwriter and director Tallinn Black Nights IFF, official selection, Munich IFF.

2019 HOMEWARD, feature film by Nariman Aliev, scriptwriter. 72th Cannes IFF, Un Certain Regard section.

2018 WHEN THE TREES FALL, feature film by Marysia Nikitiuk, scriptwriter and director 68th International Berlin Film Festival, Panorama section, Warsaw IFF, Tallinn Black Nights IFF, IFF of India (Goa), Transilvania IFF 2016 RABIES, short film by Marysia Nikitiuk, scriptwriter and director

2016 PIGS, short film by Roman Liubyi, scriptwriter

2016 LACES, short animated film by Oleg Fedchenko, scriptwriter 2014 MANDRAGORA, short film, scriptwriter and director

2014 IN TREES, short film, scriptwriter and director

2013 FALLEN LEAVES, short film by Masha KONDAKOVA, scriptwriter Official selection at «Pardo di domani» Festival del film Locarno, Batumi International art house film festival, Film festival Cottbus, Clermont-Ferrand IFF, Stuttgarter Filmwinter: Best national short, special mention by FIPRESCI at Odessa IFF, Cinematic Achievement Award at TISFF (Greece), Prix du jury Festival Tous Courts

2013 ALCOHOLIC, short film by Yulia GONTARUK, scriptwriter Best short film at Delhi International Film Festival

2012 GAUDI, short film by Aksinia KURINA, scriptwriter 2012 ANGEL OF DEATH, short film by Volodymyr Tykhyy, scriptwriter