“The Peasants” is adapted and directed by Oscar® nominated directors Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman and is produced using the same painting technique as their previous film “Loving Vincent”.

“The Peasants” once again brings paintings to life to tell a powerful, emotional story based on a novel by Wladyslaw Reymont.

The filmmakers reveal the backstage of working in bombed Kiev. They also present a unique video showing the stages of this extraordinary animation.

“The Peasants” is a tour de force depicting the struggles of a small rural community in the 1880s in an area of Poland which was then under Russian occupation: against the authorities, against the aristocracy, against the elements, and, most of all, against each other.

This dramatic setting is the backdrop to a tragic love quadrangle that leads to the downfall of a young woman, Jagna, who is determined to be her own person despite the envy and hate of her community.

BreakThru Films began shooting “The Peasants” in the summer of 2020, returning as one of the first producers to the set after the pandemic. A group of 60 painters in four studios in Poland, Lithuania, Serbia and Ukraine started working on the painting animation. Since then, Covid forced the artists to shut down the production twice. 

Another great challenge happened with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Overnight, the studio in Kiev was closed, the producers of “The Peasants” began to take immediate action to help the artists and their families.

The painters reached Poland safely, where they continued their work. However, not all painters had the opportunity to leave. For this reason, in August 2022, BreakThru Films decided to reopen the Kiev studio, providing work for 15 painters and employees.

Since October another wave of bombings and blackouts has begun. The painters want to create anyway. They come to the studio every day, arranging their schedule alongside the rhythm of power cuts. They wait in the cold when the electricity is gone. Painting gives them not only the means to support themselves, but also faith in beauty in difficult times.

However, temperatures in Kiev are already dropping below freezing, and will drop even further. BreakThru Films has launched a campaign on Kickstarter, (you can see their video and campaignb using the link below) the aim of which is to buy a generator for Kyiv’s studio, to allow the artists to paint the dramatic finale of the film.

From BreakThru Films in their own words:

“Currently, we are unable to cover the costs of purchasing and transporting the generator. However, we would like to donate six paintings from the film as awards in the campaign, these are the first paintings from “The Peasants” on the market.

Check out the Kickstarter campaign, to help us get a generator for our artists for Christmas . – encourages Sean Bobbitt, producer of ” The Peasants” “.

See the campaign and backstage video here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thepeasants/the-peasants-creating-painting-animation-in-kyiv?ref=discovery_category