Production on any number of high-profile films and television shows have ground to a halt in the United States, as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) continues its strike over better pay, better residuals, more staff and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI), among other things.
While international guilds demonstrate in solidarity with the WGA, production in other countries continues, even in war-torn Ukraine. Film and television producing and sales companies are lining up to back a 10-part series set in the early days of the Russian invasion, "In Her Car." The new drama series comes from Ukraine's Starlight Media and "Narcos" producer Gaumont.
The show focuses on Lydia, played by award-winning Ukrainian actress Anastasia Karpenko, who uses her personal car to take refugees to safety. Each show tells the survival story of a new passenger and how they're escaping the war's toll on their lives. The show is currently filming in undisclosed locations around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
"'In Her Car' emphasizes the power of human stories that cut through borders and conflicts," Veronika Kovacova, an executive at international sales group Beta Film, told The Hollywood Reporter. "The courage, commitment, and professionalism of the talented creatives involved in the realization of 'In Her Car' under the most difficult conditions is more than impressive."
Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian film and television production relied heavily on Russian investment, stars and audiences to produce and distribute its projects. After nearly 16 months of war, Ukraine's entertainment industry is shifting that effort westward, looking to Western Europe to fill the gaps.
It's the industry's effort to declare its own independence from Russia, and a new slate of films and television shows destined to appeal to western audiences pulls no punches about Ukraine's strained history with Russia and the Soviet Union.
Read: 5 Historical Reasons for Bad Blood Between Russia and Ukraine
The current favorite is "Nest of Snakes," which depicts the true events of a mass poisoning inside the Soviet Union during the 1980s. A prosecutor and detective begin investigating what killed a number of children behind the Iron Curtain.
"Really?" is about a young high school student named Vika. The girl intends to die by suicide on her 16th birthday, which just happens to be Feb. 24, 2022, the day Russian invades Ukraine. With her suicide plans interrupted by the war, she reevaluates the meaning of life -- specifically, her own life.
These projects, along with a slew of others, were set up by the Ukrainian Content Club. It's a collective of Ukrainian producers and entertainment networks to develop, finance and distribute Ukrainian-made media with the help of external partners -- partners who aren't Russian.
Depending on how long the WGA writers strike goes on, it may soon create a gap in the release of new American film and television productions. Viewers interested in relevant, high-quality drama will be able to fill that gap while supporting a different kind of independence movement in Ukraine.
-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on LinkedIn.
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