Private Project

Happy Birthday

A story about the relationships between two brothers who live in the one-room apartment, one of whom is disabled. The younger brother, Sasha, is a birthday boy. The older one, Mark, gives him a gift the younger one falls in love with. This is a prostitute girl who exacerbates relationships between the brothers. The celebration party ends up in a tragedy for them.

  • VLAD YAREMOV
    Producer
  • ANDREY KOSTYUK
    Director
  • ANDREY KOSTYUK
    Writer
  • ANDREY KOSTYUK
    Key Cast
    "Mark"
  • VLAD YAREMOV
    Key Cast
    "Sasha"
  • VICTORIYA VAKHROMEEVA
    Key Cast
    "Masha"
  • LILIA GRYSHCHUK
    Key Cast
    "Lilia"
  • Anna Kostyuk
    Art Director
  • Max Goncharenko
    Operator
  • Oleg Koturga
    Colored
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Хеппі Бьорздей
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 33 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Ukraine
  • Language:
    Russian, Ukrainian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - ANDREY KOSTYUK

Andrey Kostyuk is a Ukrainian director, actor and screenwriter. He was born in 1983 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Author of several short films, music videos and screenplays.

Filmography: 20/4 (2017), Breakdown (2018), White noise (2018).

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Director Statement

I directed this film "Happy Birthday" to expose the real lifestyle of an overwhelming majority of people in my country. Unadapted conditions for people with special needs, no public renovations, "normality" of social irresponsibility... Prostitution is also developed in our country and this is a big problem. Many women, due to poor economic conditions, are forced to go to work as a girl with low social responsibility. These all are just a tip of an iceberg. Working with the crew and cast was special as everyone was literally a permanent tenant of the film location. No matter whether the film set was hot or wrapped, we all were still in the context of our story 24/7. Actors didn't act. Everything is executed as it is. It was all done in order to show some kind of a documentary truth how unbearable our daily being can be through the story of one day, that, in contrary, was supposed to be bearably festive.