Private Project

I Never Had Dreams of My Son

After five years of war, a Ukrainian father finds proof his missing son may still be alive in captivity.

  • Jason Blevins
    Director
  • Olena Lysenko
    Producer
  • Jason Blevins
    Producer
  • Varvara Degtiarenko
    Producer
  • Jason Blevins
    Cinematography
  • Noemi Charlotte Thieves
    Cinematography
  • Darius Escandar
    Cinematography
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    War, Documentary, Drama, Mystery
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 16 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 10, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Ukraine
  • Country of Filming:
    Ukraine
  • Language:
    Russian, Ukrainian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jason Blevins

Jason Blevins is a documentary cinematographer based in Washington, D.C. His work has been featured internationally on Netflix, National Geographic and Discovery, as well as the award-winning films "Duchamp: The Art of the Possible" (2020) and "Invisible Hand" (2021).

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In the spring of 2014, we met Oleksii Shevliuha while he was a Ukrainian activist occupying Kyiv's central square. He was a sincere individual who cared passionately for better country. We lost touch as he joined the war effort that summer. Sometime in 2017, I learned that shortly after our final meeting with Oleksii, he had gone missing in the Battle of Ilovaisk.

Having several hours of footage of him, we tracked down his father, Oleksandr. It was during our first meeting with Oleksandr that he surprised us with print outs of a POW march in Donetsk, Ukraine. He pointed to one captured soldier and said, "This is my son."

Producer Olena Lysenko and I knew we had to do something to bring not only Oleksandr and Oleksii's story to the world, but that of anyone whose lives have been touched by conflict and war.