Hradivnytsa

In the depths of the mysterious Hutsul Carpathians, where the wind carries the songs of ancestors and the echoes of the trembita are heard, the molfar, the great magician, the last guardian of the connection between people and nature, departs to another world. His daughter, Hradivnytsa, quiet and incomprehensible, stands aside – lonely, unaccepted, a stranger. As the earth begins to crack, the waters disappear, and the sky freezes, she sets out to the lake where she once tried to grasp her father’s magic. But his method did not touch her soft essence. Another magic lived in her body: flexible, intuitive, imperceptible, like breath. In the forest, where the line between reality and myth is blurred, she is guided by a black cat – a harbinger of change. Through dance and movement, she begins to feel a strength growing from within. And when she allows herself to not lead, but to listen, the world responds.

Director’s statement
Hradivnytsia is a story of female emancipation, self-discovery, and the courage to break free from imposed expectations. Through the journey of a young sorceress, I explore how qualities traditionally perceived as weaknesses — empathy, sensitivity, and emotional openness — can become sources of strength.

Inspired by Hutsul traditions of the Ukrainian Carpathians, the film uses the ancient practice of weather manipulation as a metaphor for reclaiming one’s agency and finding harmony with one’s true nature.

For me, emancipation is not about rejecting heritage, but about questioning inherited rules and transforming them into something of one’s own.

Created through frame-by-frame ink-on-paper animation, the film contrasts a monochrome physical world with golden traces of magic. Without dialogue, music rooted in Hutsul folklore guides the protagonist’s transformation, giving voice to her growing independence.