THE TRAP

A Short Talk with Stanislaw Horodecki (cinematographer)

BEST STUDENT FICTION category

22nd IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival 2025

Poland, Fiction, Ukrainian, 00:08:55, 2024

Synopsis: Ukraine, 2022. Kherson under russian occupation. Kostya, involved in the underground fight against the russians, is constantly in hiding. Only his mother knows his whereabouts, and she believes that the Russian invasion is a salvation for the country. That night he narrowly escapes death. So he comes to his mother to check if she was the one who betrayed him.

A heated argument breaks out between them, but when his mother offers him a meal, he is unable to refuse and sits down at the table in silence. The already tense situation results in an unexpected twist as the son decides to leave.

Biography: Vitalii Havura, director and scriptwriter, born in Kherson. Graduate of the Kyiv National I.K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University (Directing), the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Key (Cultural Studies) and Wajda School (Film Bridge Ukraine film course). Author and director of the shorts: Chacho (FIPRESCI award at 11th Odesa IFF), Romani Dance ("Bardak" festival award). Author of the investigative documentaries regarding war crimes for Kyiv Independent.

Evgenia Evtimova: The Trap feels very tense and intimate. How did you conceptualize the cinematography to convey that emotional intensity, and did you use any additional lighting to achieve those beautiful silhouettes?

Stanislaw Horodecki: To be honest, we had only one day to shoot, so from the start, we aimed for a natural and organic look, not quite documentary, but not overly stylized either, something in between. We didn’t use any extra lighting, the weather really helped as it was cloudy all day. We relied on a negative diffuser, an Arri Alexa camera, and a Cooke S4 lens, that was it.

Evgenia Evtimova: The weather definitely worked in your favor. I also noticed the shots are quite tight. Given you had only one day and presumably limited gear, what made you choose the lenses and focal lengths you did?

Stanislaw Horodecki: The longest lens we used was 50mm. Shooting handheld, the goal was to get as close as possible to the actors’ faces to make the audience feel close to the characters, with no barriers or distance.

Evgenia Evtimova: Was shooting handheld purely a practical decision, or was it also about keeping the perspective close?

Stanislaw Horodecki: It was mostly practical. With just one shooting day and a low budget, we didn’t have resources for steadicam. But also, we wanted to tell the story from the main character’s point of view, to stay close and subjective to show his perspective.

Evgenia Evtimova: I want to congratulate you on that small detail, the window reflection in the character’s eyes. Was that planned or a happy accident?

Stanislaw Horodecki: It just happened. On set, some things you plan and some you can’t. You just have to stay open and embrace those moments when they come.

Interviewer: Evgenia Evtimova

Editor: Martin Kudlac