Venice 81, Questions for Zhanna Ozirna, Honeymoon ukrainian movie

How did the idea for the movie Honeymoon come about?

It was the story of my friend. He was hiding with his family in his own apartment in Buchi, on the second floor. A week later, they managed to escape at night and reach Kyiv. I used many details from his stories in the film. However, I decided that it would be a film about a couple rethinking their relationship and their own value systems during the most terrifying time of their lives.

Where did the filming take place? What were the most difficult aspects of making the movie?

We filmed in Kyiv. It was important for us to shoot in Ukraine from an ethical point of view, because many people are still living under occupation, and the war is not only ongoing, but also unfolding into an even bloodier phase. It was important for us to be here and now, with our people in our country. To tell our stories in our own voices, not someone else's. We also wanted to involve Ukrainian film professionals in the filming process, because many of the filmmakers either lost their jobs or were mobilized to the army.

How did the war affect the culture of Ukraine? And on cinema?

From the beginning of full-scale invasion around 1,5 million of art works were stolen and brought to Russia or now on the occupied territories. Numerous museums were burnt, bombed out or flooded after the Kakhovska dam was blown up by Russians. 165 poets and writers have been killed since the war actually started, in 2014.