Private Project

THE NOOSE

The past, which seems lost, never truly disappears—it lingers in the shadows, waiting to be confronted. A woman returns to her childhood home, where memories come to life, refusing to let go. But are they merely memories?

She finds herself trapped in a time loop that tightens around her with each passing moment. On the brink of taking her own life, something holds her back…

  • Niko Mara (Mykola Ziablov)
    Director
  • Oleksandr Voloshyn
    Director
  • Niko Mara (Mykola Ziablov)
    Writer
  • Oleksandr Voloshyn
    Writer
  • Valeriia Flik
    Producer
  • Inna Petrova
    Key Cast
    "Anna"
  • Milana Kalinchuk
    Key Cast
    "Child"
  • Dakhabrakha
    Music by
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    ПЕТЛЯ
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Mysticism
  • Runtime:
    1 minute
  • Completion Date:
    March 2, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Ukraine
  • Country of Filming:
    Ukraine
  • Language:
    Ukrainian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.89:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Niko Mara (Mykola Ziablov), Oleksandr Voloshyn

Niko Mara (Mykola Ziablov) is a Ukrainian director and cinematographer working at the intersection of auteur cinema and commercial videography. Born on November 29, 1990, in Kherson, he began his career in photography before moving into video production, creating music videos and commercials. Without formal film education, he gained knowledge through professional courses and self-study. In 2025, he completed his debut short film "Petlya," exploring psychological trauma and the boundary between reality and memories.

Oleksandr VOLOSHYN an entrepreneur from Kyiv. He spent his childhood in the city of Zviahel in Polissia, where he was inspired by the picturesque nature and the atmosphere of Lesia Ukrainka’s works, as she was born and lived there for some time.

He made his debut as a director and screenwriter with the short film “The Noose”, a psychological drama. The film portrays the protagonist’s journey of healing through an encounter with the shadow of the past. A ghost brings her consciousness back to childhood trauma and the pain of loss, which she ultimately releases.

In 2013, he graduated from the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts. Since childhood, he has been passionate about music, studied at a music school, and participated in creative ensembles of informal genres. He is interested in ethnic instruments and singing. He plays several musical instruments, including bass guitar, guitar, various percussion instruments, drums, sopilka, jaw harp, dvodenstivka, duduk, keyboard instruments, and more.

He is also passionate about cinema in various genres and styles and plans to develop creative cinematographic projects in the future.

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Director Statement

“Noose” is a story about a closed circle of pain, memory, and loneliness. For us, this film is not just a narrative, but a feeling of time stuck in place, where the past won’t let go, and the future seems impossible.

We wanted to convey this state not through a traditional narrative, but through atmosphere: deep silence, muted sounds, and tense anticipation. Visual symbolism plays an important role—the old house as a metaphor for the protagonist’s mental state, and the rope as the boundary between life and oblivion.

This film is an exploration of the moment when a person confronts themselves, their own fears, which transform into whispers, shadows, and a space that breathes with them. It is about the boundary where reality blends with the subconscious.

“Noose” is not just the story of the heroine; it is a mirror for anyone who has ever felt the pull of something that should have stayed in the past.