Filming has officially started in Kyiv for the comedy "Chasing Two Hares. The 90s", a project that transports viewers to the capital of the late 1990s. The team marked the beginning of work with the film industry's traditional plate-breaking ceremony, featuring drawings of two hares and the signatures of the project participants. The film became one of the winners of the state initiative "Thousand Springs", aimed at supporting the creation of Ukrainian cultural content. According to Wave RBC.UA, filming is already underway at Kyiv locations, with the creators facing a full production cycle all the way to theatrical distribution.
Plot: A con artist, two brides, and debts to "mob bosses"
At the center of the story is Slava Khvostov, a small-time con artist who finds himself in serious financial trouble. He owes money to both criminal bosses and influential deputy Ivan Ivanovich. To get out of the situation, the hero decides to marry Ilona Serkova, a wealthy heiress. However, the plan is complicated by the fact that Slava has already publicly promised his hand to Galia. Thus, a comedic story of cunning, double promises, and the temptation of personal gain unfolds before the viewer, intertwining money, feelings, and the desire to get everything at once.
Kyiv in 1997 as a backdrop and a metaphor
The action takes place in 1997, a period when Ukraine was searching for its own path, and money, connections, and ambitions often determined the rules of the game. The creators emphasize that the 1990s in their interpretation are not just a bright era with a recognizable atmosphere, but a time of forming new social rules and searching for Ukrainian identity. Producer Serhiy Lavrenyuk draws a parallel between the characters' behavior and the social processes that continued in the country until Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022: "Chasing Two Hares" in its new version becomes a metaphor for the desire to simultaneously move in different directions and the inability to make a final choice.
Creative team and cast
The comedy is directed by Arkadiy Nepytaliuk, who co-wrote the original script with Liudmyla Tymoshenko. The project's producer is Serhiy Lavrenyuk. According to him, the idea for the film arose while working on a previous project, when the team saw the 1990s as an opportunity to talk about the formation of independent Ukraine and the choice of its further path. Lavrenyuk also stressed that the new film will not be a remake of the cult movie "Chasing Two Hares": the team created an independent story, using the familiar plot only as a basis for a conversation about an important period. The cast includes Oleksiy Hnatkovsky, Karolina Mruruha, Olena Khokhlatkina, Rimma Ziubina, Serhiy Detyuk, Ivan Sharan, Mariia Krasnoshchok, Sofiia Leshyshak, Mykhailo Matiukhin, Roman Yasinovsky, Oleksandr Yarema, Lesia Samaieva, and Olena Uzlyuk.
State support and context: Cinema during wartime
The Head of the Ukrainian State Film Agency, Andriy Osypov, noted that making films in wartime conditions requires significant effort, resilience, and readiness from filmmakers to work in difficult circumstances. According to him, the release of new projects demonstrates the desire of the Ukrainian film industry to survive and develop despite the challenges of the full-scale war. Osypov emphasized that the upcoming comedy is not a continuation of the famous film, but its modern reinterpretation. He specifically pointed out that the team started working on the film without waiting for funding and assured of the project's support by the Ministry of Culture and the State Film Agency at the production and theatrical distribution stages.
What's next
Filming for "Chasing Two Hares. The 90s" is already underway in Kyiv. Ahead for the team is the creation of a comedy that, according to the authors' intention, will combine love intrigues, the pursuit of enrichment, and recognizable features of an era that left a noticeable mark on the history of modern Ukraine. The premiere and theatrical release dates were not announced at the start of filming.
