The war has not and will not break the human spirit, the will to live and be creative despite anything. Artistic confirmation of this was the short film "Not The Last Day", which was recently presented to the public by Yevhenii Slupchuk, a student of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, and Anastasiia Nazarets, a student of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Biotechnics. The film tells about the terrible consequences of the bloody rashists’ aggression, and Ukrainians’ struggle for statehood, independence, and the will of the nation.
The plot is quite simple: a protracted war is on, it becomes more and more difficult to take the rough with the smooth. Seventeen-year-old Dmytro and his mother fear the cold weather to come. However, this is not the only problem. Fate has prepared more than one trial...
Why such a name? "Because he woke up in the morning - alive, so yesterday was not the last day," Yevhenii Slupchuk, producer, author and director of the film, says. And he adds: "The story is made up, but now there are many similar stories."
The young man did not immediately find it in heart to create a film about war. "It took time to realize and accept what this war means to me, and only then to express my feelings," the author says. "The trigger was Renie Cares' track "My Spring". I watched the premiere of the video on YouTube and felt that I was ready to speak. Actually, the song became the final touch of the film "Not The Last Day".
Yevhenii began to think about the script: he relied on his own emotions and the experiences of his relatives, the stories of other people living in war conditions. Gradually, the frame of the story emerged, he decided on the main idea and the style to convey it. Nastia Nazarets, a colleague, joined the process. She was "extremely passionate about the idea and put her heart and soul into making the film."
The director invited Roman Kucheriavenko, a student of the Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Karyi University of Theatre, Cinema and Television, with whom he had previously collaborated, for the role of Dmytro: "I was one hundred percent sure that he would cope with this role." For the role of the mother, they chose "the ideal candidate Anastasiia Sych, whose film tests drew tears." The actors in the film conveyed the depth of human tragedy as naturally as possible. "Looking at how the characters interact, we realized that this would be an extremely strong story," Yevhenii shared. - The scene with the phone call was filmed on the 15th take, it was difficult mentally. After all, the worst thing that can happen to relatives is the news from the war that their loved one is no longer there. The brain refuses to believe it."
Filming took place at Yevhenii’s aunt’s homestead near the village of Bohdanivka, Kyiv oblast. At the beginning of March, the village was occupied by rashists, torn down houses and mutilated fences remained. The film was shot in three days and the editing began immediately. "I had no worries that something wouldn't stick together or something would be missing, because we shot every single picture, every scene, strictly following the camera report and the script," the director recalls. "I tried to size up every detail in advance, although there were plot points which we adjusted directly during filming. It took a lot of time to work on sound and visual effects."
The premiere of the film, which took place on November 11 (coincided with the liberation of Kherson), was warmly and emotionally received by the audience. "It really drives one to tears... It's a great honor for me to study at the same university as the authors", "I'm crying... this reel is just something incredible, 12 minutes of pure emotions. Many thanks to the authors!!", — the viewers comment on the film on YouTube. The screening at the «Vezha KPI» (KPI Tower) took place on December 2.
"Nastia and I are very touched that our university did not ignore the film. We are pleased to realize that there is a place for creativity at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and that you will always be supported," Yevhenii Slupchuk says with gratitude.
The cinematographic work of students of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute is not only a creative act, it is an act of resistance, it is an unshakeable faith in victory, it is generosity and a desire to share emotions with others. We will win because we cannot be broken down!
Cinematography at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. "Not The Last Day" is a short film directed by students of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Yevheniy Slupchuk (Faculty of Physics and Mathematics) and Anastasiia Nazarets (Faculty of Biotechnology and Biotechnics). The idea of creating a film started up during the great war in Ukraine. The storyline tells about the terrible consequences of the bloody rashists’ aggression, and Ukrainians’ struggle for statehood, independence, and the will of the nation.
Yevhenii Slupchuk, the fifth-year student of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the film director, talks about the start up of the idea, the writing of the script, casting, and the emotions on the production set in the latest CAMPUS episode on the KPIMedia channel.