Promotional poster for the documentary Black sunflowera documentary about the war in Ukraine that had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, shows a young man dancing in a room. Look closely and you can see he’s missing part of his right leg, below the knee.
This picture shows the reality of many young Ukrainians who have been deeply affected by Russia’s war of aggression – some have been disfigured, some carry psychological wounds, others have abandoned the dreams they nurtured before the full-scale invasion, but most retain the resolve to live life with abandon when the future is no longer guaranteed.
James Marcus Haney/Black Sun Flowers
“There are a lot of films that have been released about Ukraine so far and a lot of them are very war-focused and heavy and dark, and they are very important films to see,” noted director James Marcus Haney during a stop by Deadline’s studio at TIFF. “All those movies showed the horrific horrors that this war brought to Ukraine, the death, the burned villages, the broken soldiers. There wasn’t a lot of what I was seeing that showed all the things worth fighting for, all the light in Ukraine. And my experience going there on the first two trips versus what I saw in these movies and on the news was a little disconnect… A lot of people didn’t know how much light there was still in Ukraine and how bright these people were.”
Twin sisters Anna and Tetyana Dejanchuk, who appear in the film, maintain their focus as artists, but go into extreme rages to take their minds off the war. Young soldiers and injured vets also join in the frenetic dance parties (one of the vets—possibly the man in the poster—holds his prosthetic leg aloft in the face of a wild fury).
A young Ukrainian war veteran holds his prosthetic leg aloft at a concert in the movie “Black Sunflowers.”
James Marcus Haney/Black Sun Flowers
“For soldiers, this is definitely very important because it is very difficult to return to your daily life and because your daily life is no longer normal,” Tetiana said. “For me, it’s like you have a lot of thoughts around you and (you’re) sorting them out when you’re dancing really hard. When you get out of the party and actually go home, you feel like some of the thoughts (have) already gone. You’re kind of (sorting) your mind out there.”
Nikoleta Stoyanova wanted to become a nature photographer, but turned her interest to documenting the war after the all-out invasion began in 2022.
“I was only 19 years old at the time and I immediately realized that I couldn’t get to the front, but at least I could go and take some pictures that could show the truth (to the world) about everything that was happening,” Stoyanova said. “I would love to do more. I would love for more people to know about this. That’s why I’m so happy and thrilled that Markus came to Ukraine to make the whole movie about it. Because when you’re young and you actually feel like you’re 45 years old deep down in your soul, it’s not great because it drains you. It exhausts you.”
Sean Penn, who has championed the Ukraine cause and directed his own documentary about Ukraine, in 2023 Great powerserving as executive producer of Black sunflower. He came to Toronto to support the film Haney.
“I also told him yesterday that we’re really honored, and it’s really cool that you’re not only backing up with your words, but also taking some action,” Tetyana Dejanchuk said of Ben. “You’re coming, you’re volunteering, you’re interested. And now you’re also trying to invest in…a movie about Ukraine. So, yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
In the video above, Stoyanova addresses the meaning of the title Black sunflower; Haney talks about how the Trump administration’s bankruptcy of USAID hurt soldiers in Ukraine and what it means to have his documentary debut at the Toronto Film Festival after coming close to debuting at TIFF more than a decade ago.
Deadline Studio is hosted at TIFF at Bisha Hotel Provided by Volvo, Columbia, Patron and Schwarzkopf.
Committee members: James Marcus Haney (Director); Nikoleta Stoyanova (subject); Anna Dejanchuk (subject); Tetyana Deyanchuk (subject)
First examination: Friday, September 11 at Scotiabank Theatre
Sales agent: Charades and CAA media funding
