Private Project

The Unsmiling

"The Unsmiling" - is a short film, a dreamy dramedy about growing up. In the middle of the story is Lesya. On her 13th birthday she hides in her imagination as deep as possible from annoying family members, authoritative mother and father the prisoner. This important day Lesya is supposed to find her serenity in any possible way…

  • Yuliia Lymanska
    Director
  • Yuliia Lymanska
    Writer
  • Yuliia Lymanska
    Editor
  • Anna Vialova
    Director Of Photography
  • Viktoriia Horodynska
    Producer
  • Yaroslava Velychko
    Producer
  • Polina Kulida
    Sound Director
  • Anastasiia Prylutska
    Composers
  • Polina Kulida
    Composers
  • Anastasiia Karpenko
    Costume Designers
  • Anita Denysiuk
    Costume Designers
  • Kateryna Holiuk
    Casting Director
  • Serhii Sasyn
    1 Assistant Director
  • Varvara Martseniuk
    Key Cast
    "Lesya"
  • Hanna Harnyk
    Key Cast
    "Lesya's Mother"
  • Vladyslav Romanshchak
    Key Cast
    "Teddy Bear"
  • Anna Nikitina
    Production Designer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Несміяна
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Music Video, Short, Student, Other
  • Runtime:
    35 minutes
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Ukraine
  • Country of Filming:
    Ukraine
  • Language:
    Ukrainian
  • Shooting Format:
    RAW
  • Aspect Ratio:
    3:2
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Kyiv National I.K. Karpenko-Kary University of Cinema, Theatre and Television
Director Biography - Yuliia Lymanska

Yuliia Lymanska is a young Ukrainian film director, artist and poet, born in Kyiv, now based in Brussels, Belgium.
In early age she got the fine arts education in the Kyiv’s children’s School of Arts. Since childhood Yulia was passionate about all the arts and aesthetics, and expressed that love through her works.
In 2018 she entered the Ukraine's most famous visual arts university — Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University, faculty of film and television directing. Within university years Yuliia created her own works: short films, a documentary film, mood videos and social video.
Also she took part at numerous student projects mostly in the directing department or as a production designer. Afterwards she additionaly got practical experience in some commercial films.
“The Unsmiling” was planned as Yulia’s diploma work for the Bachelor’s degree in 2022. The last filming day was on 22 February 2022, one day before Russian invasion to Ukraine started. Yulia continued the post-production of “The Unsmiling” in new conditions, editing a whole film by herself and working distantly with other departments, as colleagues were located in different countries.

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Director Statement

"The Unsmiling" film tends to discover an actual price of the smile. Especially when you're a thirteen-year-old girl among the tired-of-their-lives adults, and the whole world seems to be on fire...