'Mother'

Source: Sentinel Entertainment

‘Mother’

EXCLUSIVE: Principal photography wrapped this month on a 22-day shoot for Mother, a UK-produced feature set in the ongoing war in Ukraine, and filmed on location in Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Mother is the directorial debut of UK-based filmmaker Jonathan Birch, who produces through his company Kono Films. The film is produced with Ben Pullen of Sentinel Entertainment, Isabelle Georgeaux of Pont Neuf Productions and Aleksandr Omelyanov of Ukraine’s Joy Films.

Inspired by real events, the film tells the story of Alex, a Ukrainian living in London who returns to his home country to rescue his mother, after Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Oleksandr Yatsentyuk, who previously appeared in Cannes 2022 Directors’ Fortnight title Pamfir, leads the cast, alongside Natalka Kobizka, Galina Korneeva and Artem Muntianov.

The film is aiming for delivery in Q1 2026 and will be presented at a market in due course.

“Mother pays tribute to the everyday heroism of Ukrainians and aims to deliver a powerful, hopeful story to international audiences,” said Birch.

“This is a stirring story of courage and sacrifice,” said a statement from Pullen and Georgeaux. “We’re proud to move into post after an extraordinary effort from our Ukrainian cast and crew to get this challenging production in the can.”

Mother is a debut feature for Kono Films, which has previously made shorts including 2023 BFI London Film Festival entry Resonant Frequency.

Sentinel has previously made features including The Score starring Johnny Flynn, Will Poulter and Naomi Ackie; and Last Sentinel with Kate Bosworth and Thomas Kretschmann.

Pont Neuf’s credits include Muayad Alayan’s A House In Jerusalem and recently completed Grow with Golda Roshuevel and Nick Frost.

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