KYIV, UKRAINE — Since the first Russian bombs fell on peaceful cities, Ukrainian mothers faced many challenges such as explaining things like war and missiles to their kids, smiling and saying “it’s ok” to keep them calm in bomb shelters.
STUDY.UA is a Kyiv-based private school that has launched a free online school for all Ukrainian children suffering from Russian aggression. More than 50,000 kids have already become their students. They also aim to enlighten the heroism of mothers.
Drama Queen, a Ukrainian indie agency, came up with a manifesto to support Ukrainian mothers urging them to dream on. “Of course, survival is crucial at war, but so is dreaming. Giving up on dreaming equals losing the battle,” they emphasized. In shelters, basements, or far away from home, they all dream of those simple little things that used to fulfill their peaceful life. Like accompanying their child on the first day at school or even making a hedgehog costume till dawn. “We are dreaming with you,” the voiceover says. Dreaming of a happy future for children and a beautiful, peaceful Ukraine. “Otherwise, what to fight for?” the manifesto concludes.
“Collecting and selecting the necessary materials made a huge part of the video-making process,” the production team said. “We worked with local archives aimed to record the lives of civilians during the war in Ukraine. But Ukrainian women themselves also have responded to our call in social media and provided a significant part of the materials.”
The video is made up of peaceful video frames appearing over wartime photos. Just like mothers’ dreams of a happy future for their children always break through the grim reality of the war. Some pieces from real STUDY.UA zoom classes were also added to the video.
Because of the war, Drama Queen has reconsidered its approach to the creative process. Currently, it takes them a few weeks to bring creative ideas to life. One of their creations is Aid Legion, the anti-war charity that has launched a fundraiser to support STUDY.UA since the online school is absolutely free of charge and needs funds to maintain its business-critical operations. You may also support STUDY.UA on the foundation’s website.
Like most creative agencies in Ukraine, Drama Queen takes part in humanitarian projects to help their country. At the same time, they’re open to working with new clients. The agency already has a couple of successful international projects in its portfolio and is hungry for more.
To support STUDY.UA: https://www.aidlegion.org/study-ua
To check the Drama Queen website: https://www.dramaqueen.com.ua
