Private Project

Safe Unsound

In rural Ireland, three Ukrainian families displaced by war rebuild their lives with courage and hope. Kate, a corporate lawyer, juggles retraining in a foreign legal system with helping her children adjust to a new school - and life without their father, who’s been conscripted. Victor, a retired father battling memory loss, works to bridge language barriers and find belonging in a local men’s group. Meanwhile, Maryna and her children, facing housing insecurity and relentless financial strain, take things day by day while striving towards a sense of normality. Together, they prove resilience knows no borders - even far from the front lines.

  • Daniel James Baldwin
    Director
  • Daniel James Baldwin
    Producer
  • Hannah Tookey
    Producer
  • Jackie Teboul
    Director Of Photography
  • Daria Korsak
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    46 minutes 48 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 26, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Ireland
  • Language:
    English, Russian, Ukrainian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Daniel James Baldwin

Daniel is a UK-based writer, director, and producer, with a background in anthropology from UCL, and documentary training under Mike Yorke, former member of the BBC’s Ethnographic Film Unit.

For 12 years, Daniel has balanced creating commercial audience research films for broadcasters like the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Netflix, with independent films through We Dream Films, a collective co-founded to tell socially impactful stories. Their first documentary, exploring the European self-publishing comics scene, premiered at the London Short Film Festival. They've since partnered with international organisations on impact documentaries: Street Stories with WWF highlighted the plight of nature, Debt Shadows with ACCA addressed payday loans, and Sea Change with Barclays raised £250,000 for a sailing charity for disabled people.

His role as Creative Director for The Outsiders, a research company championing marginalised voices, led to the making of Safe Unsound. On which he has re-united with DOP Jackie Teboul, following their award-winning collaboration on magical realism climate short The Promise.

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Director Statement

Loneliness is something I lived with for years and have explored in previous films. When millions of Ukrainians were fleeing their homes, in March 2022, I was dismayed that so many people were being severed from what they know and who they love. After spending time with Kate, Maryna, Victor and their children in May 2022, I felt compelled to tell their story so that people like me, in host communities, could witness and be moved by the day-to-day worlds of those making temporary lives in our neighbourhoods. I wanted to do something to feed our collective sense of compassion.

That encounter was instigated by my friend Steve Lacey who is a staunch supporter of Ukrainian people and whose company champions marginalised voices. Victor, Kate, Maryna, and their children are from different generations and walks of life but they are unified in their experience of this conflict by a striking and stifling sense of limbo in a foreign land. Refugee stories often focus on the dramatic narratives of trauma and the conflict left behind or the perilous journey to safety, but the challenges of adjusting to life in a new country can be just as disorientating, confusing, and isolating. They agreed to let me tell their story in the hope that it raises the profile of the quiet, internal struggles of ordinary people in an extraordinary situation.

A long-term approach enabled me to do justice to the trust they placed in me. It also created the space needed to sensitively navigate the emotional nuances of a story of this kind, playing out in three very different households. Following these families for a year and a half allowed me to witness ebbs and flows in fortune, find ways to capture understated resilience and observe subtle, poignant moments.

This story starts where many refugee narratives end - the moment they arrive. I emphasise this shift through a stylised, metaphorical opening sequence. From that point on, I strive for the film to feel observational, poetic and gently paced with a prominent score that helps frame the visceral sense of uncertainty these people live with from one day to the next. I try to represent the families holistically by including the perspectives of adults and children. News media serves as an incidental character, flitting in and out of their lives; either pulling them back to memories of home or framing their existence in Ireland. The war remains a silent presence, lending gravity without overtaking their personal journeys.

Tonally, I hope the film strikes a balance between hardship and hope, blending pathos, humour, and tenderness. I’ll feel satisfied if audiences are moved by the courage, resilience, and commitment these families show one another. At its heart, this film celebrates the human capacity to adapt, find kindness, and hold onto love.