Homefront (2024)

A family with five children flees the war from their hometown on the border with Russia. They find themselves in Mshanets village, on the other side of the country and in a new, unfamiliar environment. The family begins to build their new home there. At the same time, two documentary filmmakers come to the village in search of a story and deem the Lymar family as ideal characters for their film. But one day, when the renovation of the house is almost completed, the family disappears. The filmmakers go in search of their characters, and along the way try to find an answer to the question: what does one need to feel at home?

 

Lenght: ’47

Release: March 30, 2024

Directors

Anna Ilchenko en Anna Yutchenko

 

 

Anna Ilchenko is a Ukrainian documentary photographer and film director. She studied cultural studies and journalism. Her interests are focused on human stories, folk culture and local identities. She’s a part of a documentary collective “Old Khata project” which discovers Ukrainian villages, rural architecture and traditions. Old Khata Book, a photo book of Ukrainian rural architecture with short stories of its creators, was published in 2023. Between 2022 and 2024 she has been working with Anna Yutchenko on the documentary “Homefront” for Amsterdam based production company Zeppers Film and Dutch broadcaster BNNVARA about a refugee family that flees from the war, searching for their real home.

 

Anna Yutchenko is a Ukrainian documentary photographer and film director. She’s a master’s degree graduate at the School of Journalism of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) and IndieLab, a school for young documentary filmmakers. Anna is a co-director of short documentaries: «Alive and Invincible» (II video academy of the documentary series «DOCemotion»); «Thus they will sing», (as part of the «IndieLab» 2020), «Skovoroda’s Axis» (2021-2022), «Dialogue about the sea» (La Guarimba film residency, 2023). With Anna Ilchenko she co-directed the documentary “Homefront”.

HOMEFRONT is a co-production with BNNVARA