Every dream must come true: children of heroes visited the filming set of "The Guardians of Christmas."
Recently, as part of the social initiative "Make a Dream Come True" by 1+1 Media, the charges of the Children of Heroes Foundation — Maksym Zhuravel and Ivanna Bondarchuk — had a unique opportunity to see how a real movie is made, the Christmas fairy tale "The Guardians of Christmas."
From the first days of the war, Maksym's father took up arms to defend his native village in the Kyiv region. However, he was killed in March 2024 while fighting on the front lines. The full-scale invasion also changed Ivanna's life — her father went to war, and she survived the occupation of the Kyiv region. Unfortunately, on January 11, 2023, she learned of her father's death during the shelling of the town of Chasiv Yar.
After everything they had been through, they sought solace in art. Knowing about their passion and their biggest dream to become actors, the team of "Guardians of Christmas," together with Natalia Ostrovska, host of 1+1 Marathon and TSN, and mentor of "Make a Dream Come True," invited the teenagers to the final day of filming.
"For me, Christmas has always been associated with family and the fulfillment of wishes. Times have changed now because, during a full-scale invasion, not all families can get together because someone is fighting or has been killed in the fighting. That is why we must support families who have experienced such situations in their lives. It was clear on set how much Maksym and Ivanna enjoyed it. I hope we gave them some unforgettable emotions," said Natalia Ostrovska.
The children of the heroes were not only able to go behind the scenes but also meet the film crew, including actor Mykhailo Kukuyuk, who plays Santa Claus in the film, and Tetyana Shulika, head of the artistic projects department at 1+1 Production, producer, and screenwriter.
"The last day of filming was very emotional, especially because we wanted to surprise the teenagers. We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring them positive emotions. It's a wonderful opportunity to visit the set and bring them joy. 'Every dream must come true' is the slogan of the fairy tale, which confirms everything," said Tetiana Shulika.
In addition, Mykhailo added:
"It is a great responsibility to shoot a film in a certain style and mood, and then meet children who have already faced the most tragedy in their lives. This requires us to reassess our approach to our work. We need to support them, be understanding and more humane towards them," said Mykhailo Kukuyuk.
In the end, the children received a special gift from 1+1 Media School — a certificate that will allow them to visit the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater and attend an acting workshop with Tetyana Kryshtal, speech coach, theater actress, and permanent teacher of the 1+1 Media educational project.
You can see more of the real magic in the video on the official 1+1 Media pages on Instagram and Facebook.
We remind you that earlier, Nataliia Denysenko fulfilled the dream of the daughter of the deceased defender, 10-year-old Viktoria Godorozha. For more details, follow this link.
