Snow in the summer, work during massive shelling and superstars in the frame: filming of the Christmas fairy tale ‘The Guardians of Christmas’ has been completed in Kyiv

The filming period of the Christmas fairy tale The Guardians of Christmas is officially over. This is the first full-length feature film by 1+1 media since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine's cinema market - with magic, adventure and Ukrainian flavour. You can watch the film starting from 4 December in all cinemas across the country. The plot centres on the legendary three wizards: St Nicholas (Ivan Blindar), Santa Claus (Mykhailo Kukuyuk) and the ancient Spirit of Winter (Stanislav Boklan), who lose their magical powers because of the wishes of a little girl Vera (Arina Tregub). They are forced to unite to bring back the holiday, faith in miracles, and Christmas.

On the occasion of the final day of filming, we have collected the most interesting facts about the backstage.

Make-up and style of the main characters

It is difficult to recognise Mykhailo Kukuyuk, Stanislav Boklan and Ivan Blindar in their fairy-tale images without any clues. And this is not surprising, because the main characters' stage make-up took up to three hours each shift. It was especially difficult to recreate images that look mythological, modern and interesting at the same time.

As for the style of the wizards, the search for references and preparation of the final costumes took months. The dramatic story of the search is related to the golden decoration for St Nicholas' cap. The artists bought the first batch of material in Kyiv at the best warehouse in Ukraine. Two days later, the warehouse was destroyed by enemy fire...

The largest scene in the film

The Christmas market became the most massive scene in the film, with about 250 people taking part in it. To create a full-fledged holiday atmosphere, a 1-hectare area was artificially snowed!

One of the main visual accents was a real Italian carousel, which became the No. 1 object that enhanced the atmosphere of celebration and magic in the film.

The military playing the military

The film has a storyline with our defenders, so we involved active servicemen who play themselves and who are actors in civilian life. In particular, Dmytro Sova, Serhii Korshykov and Oleh Shcherbyna. Their participation adds a special symbolism to the story - and makes it even more heartbreaking.

Where did you shoot The Guardians of Christmas?

The filming period lasted throughout May and early June 2025, and Kyiv and Kyiv region became the locations for the fairytale story. The film features recognisable and favourite locations of the capital, including the most beautiful museums that hide dozens of secrets; parks and old streets of the capital that viewers recognise from the first shot; facades of familiar buildings that come to life in a Christmas setting; and even police stations (but not real ones).

The star cast and the main character's debut on the big screen

The film stars Stanislav Boklan, the star of The Guide, the lead actor in one of the most popular Ukrainian TV series Papik and People's Artist of Ukraine; Honoured Artist of Ukraine and star of Ukrainian films and TV series Mykhailo Kukuyuk; and Ivan Blindar, one of the most promising new stars of Ukrainian cinema, who played the legendary Kuzma Scriabin in Me, Pobeda and Berlin. The audience will also see Kateryna Kuznetsova, Roman Lutsky and many unexpected cameos and superstars. Arina Tregub will play the role of the girl Vera, and this will be her debut for the big screen.

Every dream must come true

This is the slogan of the fairy tale ‘Guardians of Christmas’, and the final day of filming confirmed it. The set was a real magic - the realisation of the dreams of the wards of the Children of Heroes Charity Foundation within the framework of the social project of the same name by 1+1 media. For example, 18-year-old Maksym Zhuravel and 14-year-old Ivanna Bondarchuk, who lost their fathers in the war, want to connect their lives with cinema. The children dreamed of going behind the scenes, and the project team made this wish come true by introducing them to the actors and crew. The children also received a themed gift from 1+1 media school - a certificate that will allow them to visit the Franko National Theatre and attend an acting workshop.

On filming in a time of war and constant risks

Despite the full-scale war and the realities it dictates, most of the filming days were free of air raids and shelling - but not all of them. The film crew worked in conditions of constant monitoring of the security situation, in compliance with all protocols.

"Friday, the night of 6 June, was one of the most terrifying nights. We were shooting at night when a massive attack started. The whole team had to take cover instead of working. This is our reality - we live and create in a war," said Tatyana Shulika, producer and co-author of the film's script.

 "And I want to thank our defenders once again. It is thanks to the Security and Defence Forces of Ukraine that we are able to make films that inspire, restore faith and speak the language of light and strength."

The Christmas fairy tale ‘The Guardians of Christmas’ will be available for viewing on 4 December. The film was created by 1+1 media team in partnership with UnitedContentHUB. The film is distributed by B&H Film Distribution.

The project team:

• Production company: 1+1 media in partnership with UnitedContentHUB.
• Director: Oleksandr Kiriyenko.
• Producers: Tetiana Shulika, Anna Honchar.
• Co-producers: Oleksiy Lymanenko, Andriy Nogin.
• Screenwriters: Tetiana Shulika, Tamara Hrantovska.
• Director of photography: Vladimir Shklyarevsky.
• The main partner of the film is Korolivsky Smak.
• General partner - Ukrzoloto.
• Official partner - METRO.

Follow the project's official pages on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to be the first to know exclusive details about the main Christmas premiere of the year.