St Nicholas, Santa and the ancient Spirit of Winter in one story: filming of the feature film ‘Guardians of Christmas’ by 1+1 media has started
On 30 April, Wednesday, 1+1 media, in partnership with UnitedContentHUB, started shooting its first feature film - a Christmas comedy for family viewing with fantasy elements called The Guardians of Christmas. The film is being created for wide Ukrainian cinema distribution and combines a warm family story with a relevant cultural rethinking, in particular, about the return to celebrating Christmas on 25 December. The decision to shoot the film is a continuation of 1+1 media's strategy to find new approaches to content creation and distribution.
‘As a diversified business that combines its own and partner resources, 1+1 media is experimenting and looking for new niches. We have already entered a number of Ukrainian films as investors or media partners, we see the demand for local stories and want to scale it up. Therefore, we believe in the project and strive to give our viewers a high-quality story with meanings that unite and inspire in such a difficult time,’ commented Yaroslav Pakholchuk, CEO of 1+1 media.
The plot centres on three legendary wizards: Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus and the ancient Spirit of Winter. Having met in secret on the eve of the holiday, they try to decide in a civilised manner which of them should take care of Christmas. But everything changes when a little girl Vera's random wish erases this day from the world. The holiday disappears from people's memory, and the main characters lose their magical powers. They have to unite to restore their faith in miracles - and with it, restore Christmas.
The film stars: Ivan Blindar (St Nicholas), Mykhailo Kukuyuk (Santa), Stanislav Boklan (the ancient Spirit of Winter), Arina Tregub (Vira).
The production team of 1+1 media, headed by Tetyana Shulika, Head of Artistic Projects at 1+1 Production, is working on the film. The producers of the project from 1+1 media are Tetiana Shulika and Anna Honchar, and the co-author of the script is Tamara Grantovska.
‘The idea for our film came about in 2023, when we celebrated Christmas for the first time on 25 December. A couple of months later, my co-author Tamara Grantovska and I won a script grant from Netflix and actively worked on the project with a team of top industry professionals. Then we found partners who believed in us and assembled a truly incredible team and cast that will not leave anyone indifferent. Therefore, I invite everyone to meet the Guardians of Christmas this winter. Details will follow later,’ said Tetiana Shulika, producer and co-author of the project.
‘The media market is currently undergoing a large-scale transformation due to a full-scale invasion, while the demand for our own, Ukrainian cinema on the big screens is extremely high. That's why we are joining forces to create a truly high-quality and unique film in its genre - about traditions, about the values that unite us, and the light that helps us move forward,’ said Maksym Kryvytskyi, Head of Television Business at 1+1 media.
Anna Gonchar stressed that The Guardians of Christmas will definitely surprise not only with the main cast, but also with unexpected cameos, as well as collaborations with Ukrainian businesses and a powerful social component to highlight important meanings.
‘Our film is about making dreams come true. And it is under this slogan that we want to unite our team, partners, and millions of Ukrainians who really need to believe in a miracle,’ added Anna.
The film is directed by Oleksandr Kiriyenko, executive produced by Andriy Pushkarev, and directed by Volodymyr Shklyarevsky.
‘I am happy again because we are doing a good job, doing what we do best. First of all, I am grateful for this opportunity to our guys and girls who are fighting for our Independence on the frontline. My professional dream was to make a fairy tale. This is a very difficult genre, but I believe that we will do everything on a high level and give a miracle to Ukrainian children,’ said Oleksandr Kiriyenko.
The co-producers of The Guardians of Christmas are Oleksiy Limarenko and Andriy Nogin from UnitedContentHUB.
‘Our company's mission is to promote and distribute Ukrainian films in Europe and beyond. ‘The Guardians of Christmas is a fairy tale film that carries deep values that will undoubtedly resonate with the audience. The film combines the magic of the winter holidays with important life lessons that can be understood anywhere in the world,’ comments Oleksiy Limarenko.
The film is scheduled to premiere in winter 2025. The film will be the first full-length theatrical release by 1+1 media since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The film's distribution company in Ukraine is B&H Film Distribution. The project partner is Korolivsky Smak.
Follow the film's official pages on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to be the first to know exclusive details about the main Christmas premiere of the year.
