Alice wants to live

"Alice Wants to Live" is an intimate, Kyiv-set drama. After a drone strike destroys her home, Alice, a graphic designer, meets Vadym, a soldier on leave. In a city marked by war, silence turns to tenderness as two wounded souls seek connection in a world urging them to stay numb.

"Alice Wants to Live" is an intimate drama set in Kyiv, where war has become part of daily life. After a drone strike destroys her home, Alice – a graphic designer in her thirties – finds an unexpected connection with Vadym, a soldier briefly on leave. What begins as shared silence turns into cautious intimacy, as two wounded people try to reclaim the right to tenderness.
The city around them breathes with threat and beauty, holding both trauma and resilience. This is a story of post-traumatic presence – of two people choosing closeness in a world that keeps urging them to stay numb.

Main country of production

Ukraine

Director's note

In this film, music is silence. We deliberately avoid conventional scores because this is a film about how silence sounds in a city under threat. Where other films might use violins or piano, we use breath, the splash of water in a bathtub, the sound of wind through a cracked window. A distant rumble – not seen, but felt in the body like a wave of tension. Today's Kyiv doesn't need embellishment. Its soundscape teaches us to listen – to the small, the real.
That's why, when music does appear, it cuts through everything. It's not background, not ambience – it's rupture. A moment when something shifts inside the character. A scream, a touch, a flight. Music here doesn't accompany emotion – it is emotion. You don't hear it – you're inside it. And in a film like this, music is not an aesthetic choice. It's a responsibility. It must only appear when the character has no other way – and when the audience can't stay on the outside anymore.
We deliberately chose the chamber form. One space isn't a limitation – it's a strength. It lets us stay inside the character without distractions, creating a closeness where every glance and sound carries weight. This doesn't require a large crew or expensive tools – but it does demand total precision, concentration, and honesty. That's what we do well. Our team knows how to work with limited resources and build tension from the simplest frame. This isn't formal minimalism – it's trust. Trust in the viewer. In the story. In the truth that's louder than words.
The world is looking at Ukraine now. But it's not just looking at the frontline. It's searching for human stories – raw, fragile, unpolished. And this is exactly what our film offers. Ukrainian women's cinema – sincere, deep, unafraid – is more needed than ever. We're ready to make this film the way it feels: a breath of truth, filmed with care.

Producer's note

"Alice Wants to Live"is a chamber, emotionally resonant film exploring the state of a person after a profound trauma. It tells the story of a woman who chooses to stay in her city during wartime and gradually attempts to reclaim her sense of bodily presence – in space, in time, in life. The film does not focus on combat or external events. Instead, it concentrates on micro-experiences, emotional recovery, and the slow emergence from post-traumatic stress. This artistic choice defines its form: a single location, a limited shooting period, minimal technical setup, and maximum attention to physicality, rhythm, light, and silence.
This is our second project with the director – a young filmmaker with previous experience in chamber storytelling and a distinctively ethical, feminist perspective on women's narratives. His approach demonstrates deep respect for vulnerability, careful attention to intimacy, and a rare ability to hold silence without rushing to fill it – something clearly visible in his previous film Magda. That is why we consciously preserve an aesthetic of restraint: a subjective camera, real locations, precise performances, and nuanced sound design are the film's core.
The project is currently in its final stages of development. The script is complete, the visual language is fully defined, and key crew members are attached. Filming is scheduled for spring–summer 2026 in a real apartment in Kyiv. The total budget is approximately €190,000. Production is led by the Ukrainian company HanzaFilm, which has significant experience in delivering quality films within tight budgetary constraints. Our team has a proven track record in low-budget auteur filmmaking – and this experience will directly inform our approach to 'Alice.' We work with real locations – apartments, stairwells, rooftops, courtyards, and Kyiv's everyday streets – which require no set-building and ensure a maximum sense of authenticity.
We rely on compact, well-coordinated teams (5–7 people on set), without hybridised roles but with an optimised structure. We shoot with natural or available light – daylight, household lamps, garlands, or streetlights – using minimal additional lighting if needed. The cast is minimal: two leads, one or two supporting roles, and the rest played by non-professionals or local residents. The camera is handheld, responsive, observational, and subjective. This is intimate cinema built on silence, psychology, and pause – and the script is tailored to accessible environments without complex technical or crowd-related challenges. We also have a signed agreement with a Latvian production company, which acts as an official co-producer and is contributing financially to the film.
This project has clear festival potential. It is targeted towards major European platforms for chamber, auteur-driven, and women-centred cinema – including Berlinale (Panorama / Encounters), Locarno, PÖFF, goEast, Sarajevo, CinEast, San Sebastián, and Toronto IFF. Beyond festivals, we envision partnerships with VoD platforms, educational initiatives, and NGOs working on topics of trauma, mental health, war, and the female experience. We are already in preliminary conversations with potential European distributors.
'Alice Wants to Live' is a film about survival – the kind that happens inside. It's not about ruins; it's about those who insist on staying alive. And we believe this is precisely the kind of story that must be told now.

Subjects:

sexuality, war, soul searching, mental health, tragedy