Filming of the Christmas fairy tale “The Guardians of Christmas” has been completed in Kyiv
13 June 05:37
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 the full-scale invasion specifically for the wide Ukrainian cinema distribution – with magic, adventure and Ukrainian flavor.
You can watch the movie starting from December 4 in all cinemas across the country. The plot centers 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 Vira (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.
Makeup and style of the main characters
It is hard to recognize Mykhailo Kukuyuk, Stanislav Boklan and Ivan Blindar in their fairy-tale looks without any clues. And this is not surprising, because the main characters’ stage makeup 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 biggest scene of the movie
The Christmas market became the most massive scene in the movie, involving about 250 people. 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 frame.
The military playing the military
The film has a storyline with our defenders, so we involved active military personnel who play themselves and who are actors in civilian life. In particular, Dmytro Sova, Serhiy 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 fairy tale story. The film features recognizable and favorite locations of the capital, including the most beautiful museums that hide dozens of secrets; parks and old streets of the capital that viewers recognize from the first frame; 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; Honored Artist of Ukraine and star of Ukrainian films and TV series Mykhailo Kukuyuk; Ivan Blindar, one of the most promising new stars of Ukrainian cinema, who played the legendary Kuzma Scriabin in Me, Victory 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 real magic took place on the set – the realization of the dreams of the wards of the Children of Heroes Charitable 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 realized this desire 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 Theater and attend an acting workshop.
On filming in wartime and constant risks
Despite the full-scale war and the realities it dictates, most of the filming days went by without air raids or 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 June 6, was one of the worst 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 Tetyana 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 Defense 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 December 4. The film was created by 1 1 media team in partnership with UnitedContentHUB. The distributor is B&H Film Distribution.
Project team:
Production company: 1 1 media in partnership with UnitedContentHUB.
Director: Director: Oleksandr Kiriyenko.
Producers: Tetiana Shulika, Anna Honchar.
Co-producers: Oleksiy Lymanenko, Andriy Nogin.
Script authors: Tetyana Shulika, Tamara Grantovska.
Director of photography: Volodymyr Shklyarevsky.
The main partner of the film is Korolivsky Smak.
General partner – Ukrzoloto.
Official partner – METRO.
