I'm Simon Lereng Wilmont, and I'm the director of A House Made of Splinters .

A House Made of Splinters , it's a film about a very special, but temporary shelter located near the northern parts of the frontline of the war in eastern Ukraine.

In the film, we follow both the dedicated and warm hearted care givers, but also three kids: Sasha, Eva, and Kolya, as they try to deal with their situation and find the magic in life despite the tragic circumstances that they find themselves in.

In this scene, Kolya's mom comes to visit Kolya and his younger siblings at the shelter.

This, of course, was a very vulnerable moment.

He starts out true to his character, being very full of bravado, and the mom discovers that he's been cutting himself and the tables turn very quickly.

And as I was filming this moment, I then noticed all of a sudden, Alina standing in the glass window looking at Kolya and his mom, with this look on her face that said everything about what these children hope for, which is that their parents come back reformed and are there for them and to take them home.

And as I was doing this, Sasha comes along.

Sasha, who has been not really engaging in any relationships with the other kids.

And this beautiful scene of the start of a friendship develops.

This film, I feel, is a tribute to the dedicated and big hearted caregivers that try to make the shelter a safe haven for these kids.

But it's also a celebration of Sasha, Eva, and Kolya and all of the rest of the kids and their almost magical ability to adapt and survive and reach for the good things in life, which is the close human connections, because they are the ones that we need when tragedy strikes.