US PREMIERE

FILM FINANCED BY THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND INFORMATION POLICY OF UKRAINE

Immortalised as one of the most scintillating and enlightening Christmas songs, 'Carol of the Bells' adapted from a popular Ukrainian folk melody, came to represent the spirit of brotherhood and unity all over the world. 

The peaceful and neighbourly existence of three families , Polish, Ukraine and Jewish, sharing a large house, musical evenings and merriment in the city of Stanislav in the years preceding and post war, is shattered by invaders, first in the Nazi then the Soviet occupation of Ukraine. 

Death and loss come to these families, but the healing power and joy of "Carol of the Bells" will be everlasting.

Sponsored by Bonnie & Stanley Schweiger.

Recorded Q&A 3/1/2022 with Director Olesya Morgunets-Isaenko, Actor Andrey Isaenko and Producer Maksim Leshchanka

Interview with Director

Olesya Morgunets-Isaenko

Director, Ukraine

Born in 1984, Kozelets, Chernihiv region, Ukraine.

2008 – Graduated from the Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University, specialty – film directing. Olesya’s graduation film project “Molfar” won the jury award at the film festival New Cinema. XXI Century held in Moscow.

2006 – 2013 – Worked as a director and a film editor at the production company Technomedia. Was engaged in the following projects: Series of video clips dedicated to celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Olexandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio (director), documentary “War of Colors” (film editor), documentary “Juliette of the Carpathians” (film editor), documentary “Denesia” (film editor).

2010 – 2013 – Worked at the production studio A7 as assistant director.

2011 – 2012 – Held film editing training course at the Taras Malyarevich photo studio.

2014 – Directed short film “Cello”.

2014 – Won Ukrainian president’s grant for developing screenplay for documentary Music of Monocle dedicated to life and creative legacy of cinematographer Danylo Demutskyi.

2015 – Directed a series of video clips about the war in Donbas, Eastern Ukraine.

Starting from 2015 until present – Olesya Morgunets-Isaenko is a member jury of the Coronation of the Word literary contest.

2016 – 2017 – Taught film editing to the students of the Chervony Sobaka Studio's animation training course for children.

2016 – 2017 – Directed a series of video clips for children of Donbas and Crimea, commissioned by NGO Open Policy.

2018 - "The Tale of Money", fairy tale, fantasy, 100 min.

Tripoli Film Festival (Lebanon)

Kaniv International Film Festival (Ukraine)

Zaporizhzhia International Film Festival – ZIFF (Ukraine)

2019 - "The Borderline. Hrubieszow Operation", documentary, 52 min.

Dream City - Rivne International Film Festival (Ukraine) - 3-d prize of the national full-length documentary program.

2021 – “Deportation 44-46”, documentary, 75 min.

2021 – “Carol of the Bells”, drama, 122 min.

2022 – “And Every River”, feature documentary (production)