Exclusive: Paris-based MMM Films has acquired international sales rights to Ukrainian director Mykyta Zhibalenko’s drama camouflage The first clip of the film was released before its world premiere in the parallel section in Venice, Giornate degli Autori.
Arthur Aliyev, who was in Venice in 2023 with Forever foreverHe plays 22-year-old Vitaly who leaves his native Ukraine for Germany in search of a new life just one year before the Russian invasion in 2022. He has left behind his mother, a teacher shaped by the Soviet era, and his sister, who is deeply concerned about her friend’s work as a journalist on the Eastern Front.
Settling down in Munich, he joined a student theater group where, for the first time, he felt free to be himself. When the full-scale Russian invasion broke out, his mother and sister fled Ukraine and joined him, bringing with them family conflicts and feelings of guilt that distance could not silence.
Zhebalenko, who had been living in Germany for nearly a decade when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, told Deadline that the film was inspired by his own experiences.
“For years, I’ve had a desire to tell a story about immigration and identity in the context of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The process began in 2022 with two short films exploring these themes. Over time, the material gradually evolved into a feature film,” he said.
“On the one hand, the film is closely related to my own experience: immigrating to Germany in 2013, searching for a new home, and developing an increasing desire to reconnect with my Ukrainian roots. camouflage It explores the dilemma of living between identities through the journey of its main character, Vitaly. At the same time, this is not a singular coming-of-age story. Much of the film is based on research and aims to depict a bigger picture, following four main characters who have very different views on war and migration.
This film was produced by Katarina Kulček and Leo Niu under the banner of Munich-based kalekone Film, in co-production with ZDF.
“Mikita approached us camouflage Already supported by ZDF, who joined us on the strength of the treatment alone. We knew Mikita’s work well: his motivations, his artistic vision and what he actually achieved with his short films. “It was a no-brainer,” Kuliczyk and Liu Niu said of their involvement in the film.
“camouflage They continued: “It is exactly the kind of story that made us start Kalekone: personal, political, aspirational and shaped by the people to whom this story belongs.” Working with Mykyta from day one has deepened our confidence in the project. He genuinely values what actors and crew bring to the process, and has a rare instinct for knowing exactly which ideas complement his vision, and which ones might push him further.
camouflage It is among 10 films competing in Giornate degli Autori’s main competition, which includes the drama starring Mia Wasikowska. Agata the writer By Kuba Durabialski and the section’s opening film, Lili Horvat My notes on Mars With Mackenzie Davis and Rupert Friend.
“We were deeply moved by the power of what initially appears as an intimate story of a young man trying to build a life away from home, a journey that will resonate with anyone who has left home to find their place elsewhere, and by Mykyta’s ability to gradually expand this personal story into something much greater, in the face of one of the greatest tragedies in modern history,” said MMM Films.
“Despite the gravity of the situation in our protagonist’s home country, we found the overall tone of the film to be remarkably balanced, never allowing the weight of its subject matter to overshadow the deeply human story at its core.”
