Dreams cannot be burned: Acclaimed film Romchyk is a multi-layered triumph from Chipping Norton director
Short film Romchyk, about a Ukrainian boy who returns to ballroom dancing after being badly burned in a Russian missile strike, has been garnering acclaim on the film festival circuit and has even been watched by the Pope.
It is the true story of Roman Oleksiv who was badly burned in July 2022 in a Russian missile strike which also killed his mother Halyna.
The story centres around the seemingly insurmountable journey Romchyk makes to become a ballroom dancer.
A multi-cultural team produced the film, directed by Alexis Bicât, who grew up in Chipping Norton. However, Bicât’s great grandfather fled from Russia during the Russian Revolution to support Chechnya in its bid for sovereignty. “I was honoured and humbled to direct this movie. My hope is that Roman Oleksiv’s brave decision to allow us to tell his story highlights the true horror of what’s happening in Ukraine today. There are many resemblances to what happened in Chechnya, and indeed other historic conflicts over land and sovereignty that will resonate with people of all backgrounds,” said Alexis Bicât, director.
The film marks Bicât’s return to directing after a hiatus and coincided with him having his own children, which brought a new perspective to his work. He moved his young family back to the Cotswolds for family support in order to film the poignant story.
Bicât continued: “When we look through the eyes of a child, we can see more clearly the horrific cost of war but also the resilience of the human spirit. Roman’s courage and tenacity are what make this story truly inspirational.” The cast included Ilya Bondarenko as Romchyk, Vadym Golovko as his father Yaroslav and young dancers of Ukrainian descent, choreographed by Olga Boboshko.
Romchyk is showing at festivals in California (Cambria Film Festival), Nevada (Dam Short Film Festival) and Oregon (McMinnville Short Film Festival) in the US, as well as the Independent Days International Festival in Karlsruhe, Germany. Bicât grew up in Chipping Norton and was educated at a local comprehensive school before moving to London and then Los Angeles. Now settled between London and the Cotswolds he has resumed is directing career which began when he was just a teenager.