BLACK SUNFLOWERS Soundtrack Features Fred again.., Brian Eno, Four Tet, IDLES
The documentary executive produced by Sean Penn features Brad Oberhofer and Ukrainian electronic musician Koloah on original score.
Black Sunflowers, the Ukrainian youth coming-of-age documentary directed by James Marcus Haney (No Cameras Allowed) and executive produced by Sean Penn, had its world premiere at this year's TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) on Friday, September 11.
The official soundtrack has been announced featuring Fred again.., Brian Eno, Four Tet, Aphex Twin, IDLES, Morphine, Sega Bodega, Nastya Vogan, Два Два Дев'ять, Ann Annie, Marwan as well as original score by Brad Oberhofer, Ukrainian electronic musician Koloah and more.
Speaking about the soundtrack, Haney said: 'The film is a tapestry of protagonists and so too, is the score and its creators. We wanted the music to represent what the protagonists themselves listen to. In that way, the score and soundtrack are created by a mix of Ukrainian and Western Europe/American artists; I really connected with some of the protagonists through music. I not only learned about amazing Ukrainian music - they taught me about some epic music from the US that I had never heard of before! I wanted to incorporate just as much of the Western culture music in the fabric of the film as the Ukrainian music, to better represent just how globally-influenced this young generation of Ukrainians are.'
Tickets for the premiere screening at Scotiabank Theatre, Screen 3 in Toronto sold out, but additional screenings went on sale.
Black Sunflowers held its official TIFF afterparty with DJ Ben UFO at Mooi Space, 75 Pelham Avenue, Toronto, on Friday, September 11 at 10 PM. Tickets for the afterparty sold out, with a wait list made available.
Black Sunflowers portrays the lives of young Ukrainians suspended between youth and duty, where coming of age is shaped by martial law and the realities of the front line.
Through a cast of soldiers and civilians, the documentary moves between fast cars, underground clubs and conversations about the future, only for the realities of war to come sharply into focus. Nature photographers become war photographers, artists train as medics, and young couples attempt to build lives together despite the uncertainty they're faced with.
As another year of conflict stretches on, Haney captures the ordinary moments that persist from the shadow of war. Black Sunflowers offers a piercing view of a nation's struggle to preserve its independence, revealing the fragility of everyday life and the sacrifice it takes to protect it.
James Marcus Haney
Marcus Haney is an American filmmaker, photographer and volunteer firefighter whose work explores youth culture, conflict and identity. At 22, he dropped out of USC's School of Cinematic Arts to stow away on Mumford & Sons' Railroad Revival Tour from Oakland to New Orleans. His 2014 documentary 'No Cameras Allowed' told the story of his breaking into music festivals to photograph some of the industry's biggest names, a journey that eventually led Mumford & Sons to make him their official photographer. Haney has since become a long-term collaborator, making documentaries, music videos, and album art, with them as well as with Elton John and Coldplay.
In 2022, Haney went on assignment with the NGO War Child UK to Ukraine and it was there that he learned about the underground rave and street racing/drifting scenes still happening, despite the war. The next three years saw him living between Kyiv and LA, embedding into these subcultures and filming 'Black Sunflowers'.
In addition to Ukraine, Haney has worked on assignment in Honduras, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, North Macedonia and Argentina. He currently lives in California.
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