Blending realism with poetic cinematic language, the film presents war not through battles or politics, but through fragile everyday encounters: a lost farm animal crossing mined fields, a child clinging to a rabbit during evacuation, pets sensing shelling before humans, flooded habitats after ecological disaster, and the loyalty of a military dog risking its life beside a soldier. Each story reflects survival, memory, and compassion in extreme circumstances.
The anthology explores war as both a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe, revealing how violence destroys not only cities but the natural world and inner human stability. By observing events through beings without ideology or voice, the film highlights dignity, empathy, and the persistence of humanity amid devastation.
The project was launched in 2022 and later joined by actor Sean Penn, appearing symbolically for a $1 fee in a segment directed by Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi. The film premiered internationally at the Tribeca Festival in 2025 and nationally on World Animal Day at the Odesa International Film Festival, followed by cinema and streaming screenings that also supported animal-aid initiatives.
Through its seven interwoven novellas, Animals in War becomes a testimony to compassion — a reminder that even in the presence of profound violence, the ability to care for another living being preserves what remains human.
Original title (Ukrainian): “Війна очима тварин"
Original title (English): “Animals in War”
Country of production: Ukraine
Duration: 98 min.
Produced by: SOTA Cinema Group, Kleos Art
Year of production: 2025
Genre: drama, film anthology
Directors: Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, Yulia Shashkova, Max Tuzov, Oleksiy Mamedov, Sviatoslav Kostiuk, Andriy Lidahovsky, Ivan Sautkin
Screenplay: Oleg Kokhan, Sviatoslav Kostiuk, Andriy Lidahovskyi, Alexei Mamedov, Ivan Sautkin, Yuliya Shashkova, Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, Maksym Tuzov
Producers: Oleh Kokhan, Oleksiy Makukhin
Camera: Byron Werner, Oleksandr Roshchyn, Yuriy Hruzynov, Lev Kostenko, Volodymyr Ivanov, Yuriy Barsuk, Serhiy Stetsenko
Production designer: Iuliia Antykova, Ivan Levchenko
Starring: Sean Penn, Maryna Koshkina, Andriy Lidahovsky, Mykhailo Matyukhin, Olha Korotiaeva, Olha Martynyshyn, Denys Kapustin, Artem Cherniy, Andriy Isaienko, Mykhailo Pulianskyi, Polina Haiova, Daria Derzhun
Composer: Dmytro Gordon
Languages: Ukrainian, English
The screening is a part of Ukraine Culture Now Association’s ongoing initiative Ukraine Film Now to present Ukrainian cinema, supported by Region Stockholm.
