The creators of the feature-length animated documentary Red Zone, which takes an individual perspective on the Russo-Ukrainian War, announced they have brought on award-winning animator Flóra Anna Buda (Entropia, 27) as the project’s art director. Buda is a winner of both the Cannes Palme d’Or for best short film and the Annecy Cristal award, among many other prestigious prizes.
“Joining the project felt natural. It connected with themes I found important and eager to discover — violence, memory, identity — but in a way that felt new,” said Buda. “Designing the visual universe was a long process, one that involved deep collaboration and many drafts, but that’s exactly what made it meaningful. I felt part of something urgent and true.”
Directed by Iryna Tsilyk (The Earth Is as Blue as an Orange, Best Director at Sundance) and produced by award winner Darya Bassel (Moon Man), Marion Guth (a_BAHN) and Jean-François Le Corre (Vivement Lundi !), Red Zone will be presented as part of the new animated documentary pitch program at Annecy’s MIFA market on Thursday, June 12.
The film’s creative team also boasts French artist Emma Carré (Signal, Draw for Change!) as lead storyboard artist.
“Our collaboration with Flora feels like a special kind of match for me,” noted Tsilyk. “First of all, I really love the way she tells her personal stories with humor, especially when it comes to intimate topics. Secondly, we share a kind of Eastern European mentality that definitely shows through: even though Flora and I grew up in different countries (Ukraine and Hungary), I feel a certain unity in our experiences. Some things didn’t even need to be explained. And even before the war, Flora had spent time in Kyiv, so she knows and feels my city.
“And the colors! I’m amazed by her sense of color,” the director continued. “That’s particularly important for my film, because war doesn’t only reach small provincial towns — it also comes to large European capitals with vibrant, intense lives. That’s why I’m truly happy that Flora, with her unique style and vision of the world, is working with us.”
Synopsis: What is the end of the world for one person is another ordinary Tuesday for someone else. Film director, poet, soldier’s wife and mother of a teenager, Iryna Tsilyk captures a typical day in Kyiv amid wartime. A film about resistance and the beautiful, strong people in dark times.
Previously Red Zone was awarded the Eurimages Special Co-production Development Award at CPH:DOX and participated in the CEE Animation workshop 2024, ACE Animation Special and ANIDOX:LAB.
Production will begin next year, with completion expected at the end of 2027. Cinephil is handling international sales.
Win 'Grave of the Fireflies' LE SteelBook! 
