Experiencing Interruptions?

If I could fly

If I could fly explores the trauma of a young girl, who fled from war with her sister and mum, leaving behind her dad. In her nightmares, she learns to fly. Flying symbolizes her escape from the fear caused by the war. When she shares these dreams with her little sister, who naively assumes that the dreams are beautiful and exciting, the 4-year-old asks her sister, "Why don't you fly to Papa?"
In her dreams, our heroine flies to her father at the front and asks him why he can't come home.
The film views the war through the eyes of children. It does not judge or take sides. It simply
describes: What would be the simplest solution from the perspective of a 4-year-old? She just wants her dad to come home.

  • Alexander Kühn
    Director
  • Marco Henn
    Producer
  • Anzhelika Eshbaieva
    Key Cast
    "Main Child "
  • Oleg Kaprenko
    Key Cast
    "Father"
  • Elena Borozenets
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
  • Daria Trotsenko
    Key Cast
    "Child Sister"
  • David Gesslbauer
    Editor
  • Alexander David Wolf
    Music
  • Julian Berg
    Sounddesign
  • Marco Dahl
    Sounddesign
  • Marina Starke
    Color Grading
  • Olga Gredig
    Art Director
  • Jan David Gunther
    Director of Photography
  • Monkeys.tv
    VFX
  • UPP
    VFX
  • ACHT
    VFX
  • Storz&Escherich
    VFX
  • Spellwork
    VFX
  • Celluloid
    VFX
  • Elevate
    VFX
  • Eye Candy
    VFX
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    drama, action, children, adventure, dream
  • Completion Date:
    January 9, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    Ukrainian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
Director Biography - Alexander Kühn

Alex Kühn gained his first experience in the film industry during his classical piano studies at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. His passion for music led him into advertising, where he directed a concert recording of a benefit performance by Die Toten Hosen at the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, titled “Willkommen in Deutschland.” He then pursued a directing degree at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. Focusing on character-driven storytelling, he created the film "Josh and Jacob," which received recognition at international festivals. In July 2022, he was awarded the Young Director Award in Cannes and the New Talent Award at the German Advertising Film Awards. He later directed “Pokerface,” a film about teenagers with alcoholic parents, which garnered several awards and was used by the charity NACOA. Alex continues to play and teach piano to maintain balance in his work as a director and volunteers by teaching piano in refugee shelters in Ludwigsburg.

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Director Statement

Our top priority was the film's authenticity, which is why it was crucial to have an entirely Ukrainian cast and to seek advice from Ukrainian friends during script development while embracing input from our actors during production. We also wanted the dialogue between the older and younger sisters to feel as natural as possible, so we worked with an actress who had just turned four. Equally important was ensuring that the flying in the dreams was as realistic as possible, allowing the story to flow smoothly and take the audience on Lika’s journey. This challenge was met with the help of a highly experienced stunt crew, the tireless dedication of our team over more than two years, and especially the courage of our main actress, Lika Eshbaieva.
Many of the shots were actually captured in-camera, with Lika being flown through the forest connected to a U-Crane (camera vehicle), while another U-Crane was filming her. Even her lift-off from the chaotic moment at the train station was filmed for real.