On February 24, 2022, as Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian animator Anastasiia Falileieva and her boyfriend fled Kyiv, seeking refuge with his parents in Irpin. What began as an attempt to escape the immediate danger of the capital soon transformed into a harrowing experience as Irpin itself became a frontline in the conflict.
Falileieva’s experience, documented in the 11-minute animated short film “I Died in Irpin,” depicts the rapid deterioration of safety in the city. The film, created using charcoal and hand-drawn animation, portrays not only the physical threat of the invasion but too the psychological toll of displacement and trauma. The couple spent ten days in Irpin before conditions forced them to move on.
“I Died in Irpin” premiered at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and subsequently screened at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, where it received the award for Best Animation. The film was also nominated for the Grand Prize for Short Film at the Bucheon International Animation Film Festival and won Best Short Film at the Manchester Animation Festival and Best Animated Short at Fest Anča in 2025. Most recently, it was awarded Best of the Best in the short film category at the Emile Awards in November 2023.
Falileieva has described the film as autobiographical, stemming from a feeling of dissociation experienced shortly after evacuating Irpin. In an interview, she explained that the most significant shot in the film – depicting her pulling her sweater up to reveal emptiness, accompanied by the sound of burning – originated from a moment of profound disbelief and derealization. She questioned her own survival, feeling like “only a shell.”
The film’s narrative structure is non-linear, reflecting the fragmented nature of memory under extreme stress. It explores themes of collective trauma and the complexities of abusive relationships, drawing a parallel between the personal and the geopolitical. “Through a personal voiceover and nonlinear imagery, the film explores how memory breaks down under extreme stress, positioning animation both as testimony and as a call for justice,” according to a description of the film.
“I Died in Irpin” was shortlisted for consideration for the Best Animated Short Film award at the 98th Academy Awards. The nomination voting period for the category concluded on January 16, 2026, with the final nominations yet to be announced.
