The idea for “Sirenka” arose during Yuriy Dunay’s service at the Land Forces Recruiting Center. The director drew attention to the number of citizens of Latin America, primarily Colombia, who came to fight on the side of Ukraine.
He was interested in why people would leave a country with its own long history of armed conflict and go to war thousands of kilometers from home.
In search of answers, Dunay turned to Colombian literature. He was particularly impressed by Juan Gabriel Vázquez’s novel Volver la vista atrás (“Looking Backward”), based on the biography of Colombian film director Sergio Cabrera.
The story of a family that survived the Spanish Civil War, revolutionary events in China, and guerrilla warfare in Colombia helped Dunaj reflect on how the experience of violence affects people and is transmitted between generations.
Later, the director returned to the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Thus, magical realism and mythological images appeared in the concept of the future film, through which the authors decided to tell about the internal changes of the main character.
Books that are missing in Ukrainian
Familiarity with Colombian literature revealed another problem – the lack of Ukrainian translations of contemporary Latin American authors.
Juan Gabriel Vázquez’s works are published in 30 languages, but the novel Volver la vista atrás, which influenced the idea of ”Sirenka”, still has no Ukrainian translation. While working on “Sirenka”, the director began learning Spanish to gain wider access to literature and better understand Colombian culture.
For Dunay, this issue goes beyond book publishing. He draws attention to how little Ukraine and Latin American countries are represented in each other’s cultural space, even though direct contacts between their citizens are increasing.
“In my opinion, Ukraine is almost absent from the cultural space of Latin America. Only now, thanks to direct contacts between people, are we beginning to realize what a big world it is,” Dunay notes. As an example of working with a foreign audience, Dunay cites the Cervantes Institute, which spreads the Spanish language and culture through educational and cultural programs.
The director believes that Ukraine also needs to work more actively with the Spanish-speaking audience. And feature films can be one of the ways to establish such contact.
How Ukrainian history merged with Colombian mythology
The plot of “Sirens” centers on 18-year-old Marta from the Zhytomyr region, who joins the Armed Forces of Ukraine to earn money for her younger brother’s treatment. In a military hospital, she meets Sergio, a 43-year-old Colombian volunteer who came to fight in Ukraine to financially support his family.
Despite the difference in age and life experience, the characters fall in love and get married. Over time, their story takes on the features of magical realism, combining Ukrainian wartime reality with Colombian myths.
The film’s title comes from Sergio’s affectionate address to Marta. At the same time, it is connected with the mythological image of the siren, which was formed as a result of the combination of pre-Columbian beliefs with European traditions.
One of the images used in the script is Bachue, a goddess who, according to myth, emerged from the water with her son. Through such motifs, the authors seek to convey the changes in the main character and her perception of the world around her.
Dunay emphasizes that Colombian culture should not remain just an exotic backdrop for Ukrainian history. The authors seek to organically combine the cultural traditions of the two countries and tell about the experience of Ukrainian heroes through Colombian mythological images.
To do this, the team plans to hire a consultant from Colombia who will help faithfully convey local traditions, mythology, speech characteristics, and the characters’ daily lives.
Looking for partners for a Ukrainian-Colombian film
The project “Syrenka” received a grant from the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation for writing the script and preparing a presentation package. The grantee is Trempel Films LLC. Pylyp Illenko is also consulting on the development of the project as a development producer.
The authors have already prepared two drafts of the script and worked with a script doctor. Ahead is further refinement of the story and the search for international partners.
Since a significant part of the events will take place in Colombia, the team is considering the possibility of an international co-production. Pylyp Illenko is already looking for potential partners, particularly in international film markets.
The exact date for the start of filming has not yet been determined. Dunay continues to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and explains that full-fledged film production is impossible for him under the current circumstances.
At the same time, the director is convinced that “Sirenka” is important not only as a fictional story. In his opinion, the film can help Colombian viewers better understand the Ukrainian experience of war, and Ukrainians – to get acquainted with the culture of the country whose citizens are currently fighting on the side of Ukraine.
“Cinema is an extremely important tool of diplomacy and cultural influence. And influence is possible when there is a common context,” says Dunay.
For the authors of “Sirenka,” the war that brought together a Ukrainian military and a Colombian volunteer became such a common context. Through their story, they want to tell a story about two countries that still know little about each other.
Serhiy Martyniuk
