For children forced to leave Ukraine, this Christmas promises to be a lifeline.
The TV special features a range of favorite British children, from Peppa Pig until Thomas and friendsspecially dubbed into Ukrainian for young viewers.
Now Sunflower TV, a non-profit initiative dedicated to the entertainment and recreation of traumatized refugee children, plans to expand its programming after becoming a surprise hit with displaced families across Europe.
Sunflower TV is free to watch on YouTube and was created by PACT, a trade body representing the UK screen sector, which asked producers and broadcasters to contribute their catalog of children’s programs to the new service.
The creators of the program agreed to waive their rights and bear the cost of duplicating programs into Ukrainian so that the youngest participants would get some relief getting used to the new environment.
About 200 hours of BBC programming are now available. Jump Jetter and Jojo and grandma at CITV Mr Bean: The Animated Series – which do not require special language skills – with new performances as Christmas approaches.
Sunflower TV chose to dub programs instead of using subtitles. “Children who have lost their homes, friends and relatives benefit from at least a sense of familiarity by having access to materials in their own language,” says Dr. This was reported by Olesya Khromeychuk, director of the Ukrainian Institute in London, who advised the project.
“And it’s important that children don’t feel like their own language is being silenced as they begin to rebuild their lives outside the home.”
PACT CEO John McVeigh said he was surprised by the channel’s success. “We have over a million views from Ukraine itself, as well as Ukrainian migrants in Russia, Poland and Germany,” he said. .
“Many of these shows were never shown in Ukraine because their broadcast industry couldn’t afford to buy them.”
An estimated two-thirds of Ukrainian children were forced to leave the UK and Germany in search of new homes after the Russian invasion, which is why Sunflower plays a crucial role.
“We know the programs will entertain and comfort children at Christmas — and at Ukrainian Christmas, which is celebrated in early January,” McVeigh said.
“Your parents will appreciate that their kids have something to watch and enjoy together,” he added.
“We have focused programs on preschoolers who may need them most. As the population stabilizes, we would like to ask program makers to offer us programs for older children,” he added.
Sunflower is now offering its young viewers the opportunity to take part in their new favorite shows.
Welsh broadcaster S4C has ordered a new version of its popular children’s series. civ and friends in Ukrainian it is called Coco Ta Druzi.
For more authenticity, Boom Cymru, the Cy company, invited refugee children who had settled in Wales to record the show.
The project involved Sofya Bondarenko and Ivan Maslyanka, who lived with their family at the Llangrannog Urdd Center in Ceridigion and have now settled in the local community.
Sofia said: “It was very exciting to voice a cartoon for the first time. I like friendly and cute characters.”
Ivan added: “It was a very interesting experience and not difficult at all. I really enjoyed it.”
The series is produced by Katerina Gorodnicha, a refugee from Ukraine. She said: “I am very grateful for this unforgettable experience and the families were proud to have done this job.”
“Children not only gained experience and had a lot of fun, but also had a rest from the terrible situation in Ukraine.”
She added: “It’s so important for us to get to know Wales, to get to know your culture, and it’s great that we are starting to make cartoons for the little ones.”
Sunflower presents shows from Ukrainian manufacturers with titles such as Brave Bunnies and eskimo girl and is in talks with broadcasters in Ukraine to air more local shows.
The UK film industry has supported the channel, with Bafta hosting a special screening of Sunflower last week for an invited audience of 160 families.
The broadcaster is launching a social media marketing campaign to further expand its reach. “There is no central refugee database to turn to, but we know that there are now thousands of Ukrainian families with children in the UK.”
“It is important that the children assimilate here, but also retain their knowledge of the Ukrainian language and their cultural identity, because one day they hope to return to their country.”
“No one is making money off of this,” McVeigh added. “The British audiovisual sector bears the cost of dubbing the show into Ukrainian for several hours and there is no advertising on the channel. It’s worth it because the Sunflower brings a smile to the faces of children at Christmas.”
McVeigh is reaching out to British producers who have a supply of shows to provide to Sunflower – “animation, education, comedy, live action, documentary, history, anything that will resonate with a wide range of children’s audiences.”
“The UK TV and film industry is rightfully proud to be one of the most creative, entrepreneurial, successful and dynamic industries in the world. Now we apply all these qualities to help Ukrainian children who are traumatized by forced relocation to another country.”
Source: I News
I am Harvey Rodriguez, an experienced news reporter and author with 24 News Reporters. My main areas of expertise are in entertainment and media. I have a passion for uncovering stories about the people behind the scenes that bring the entertainment world to life. I take pride in providing my readers with timely and accurate information on all aspects of the entertainment industry.