THE DISTANT BARKING OF DOGS
by Simon Lereng Wilmont
Ten-year-old Oleg lives in the eastern part of Ukraine — a warzone that often echoes with anti-aircraft fire and missile strikes. Sometimes these sounds are in the distance, while other times they’re frighteningly close. While many have already left this dangerous area, Oleg remains with his grandmother, who has taken care of him since the death of his mother. They have nowhere else to go. While waiting for the war to end, Oleg enjoys hanging out with his younger cousin Yarik and the older boy Kostia. Together they go on adventures, talk about what makes a real man, test each other’s boundaries — but sometimes they go too far.
This observational film follows a year in the life of Oleg, and emphasizes the warm bond he has with his grandmother. By sticking close to Oleg, The Distant Barking of Dogs shows the effect of conflict on children.
Directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont
Produced by Monica Hellström - Final Cut for Real
In Co-Production with Mouka Filmi, STORY, Bayerischer Rundfunk / ARTE
Cinematography by Simon Lereng Wilmont
Music by Erik Enockson, Uno Helmersson
Sound Design by Pietu Korhonen, Heikki Kossi, Peter Albrechtsen
Edited by Michael Aaglund
Executive Producers: Philippa Kowarsky, Signe Byrge Sørensen
DIRECTOR - SIMON LERENG WILMONT
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Simon graduated as a Documentary Film Director from The National Film School of Denmark in 2009. His first feature documentary film The Distant Barking of Dogs (2017), premiered at IDFA, and was awarded Best First Appearance. It has since gone on to win 35+ awards worldwide, among them the McBaine Documentary Feature Award at San Francisco’s SFFILM Festival, it was nominated for a European Film Award (2018), an Emmy (2020), and shortlisted for an Academy Award (2019). The film also won a Peabody Award (2020). As a director, his films include Dormitory Master (2009), Above Ground, Beneath the Sky (2008), Chikara – The Sumo Wrestler’s Son (2013) and The Fencing Champion (2014).
PRODUCER - MONICA HELLSTROM
Monica Hellström is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was selected for Producer on the Move, Cannes 2020 and was awarded the prestigious ‘Ib award’ by the Danish Board of Film Directors in 2022. She started her company Ström Pictures in May 2022 and has before that been a producer at Final Cut for Real since 2010 and previously worked at Upfront Films and The Danish Film Institute's Film Workshop. She graduated from EAVE Producer Workshop in 2010, holds an MA in film from the University of Copenhagen (DK) and a BA in film from the University of Bedfordshire (UK).
IDFA 2017 - BEST FIRST APPEARANCE AWARD〡GÖTEBORG 2018 - DRAGON AWARD BEST DOCUMENTARY〡THESSALONIKI 2018 - GOLDEN ALEXANDER & FIPRESCI AWARDS〡FIFDH GENEVA 2018 - YOUTH JURY PRIZE〡DOCUDAYS 2018 - STUDENT JURY AWARD〡HONG KONG IFF 2018〡SAN FRANCISCO FILM FESTIVAL 2018 - MCBAINE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE AWARD〡IT'S ALL TRUE 2018 - BEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY AWARD〡DOK.FEST MÜNCHEN 2018 - VIKTOR MAIN COMPETITION AWARD〡CINEDOC 2018 - CURRENT TIME AWARD〡DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY 2018 - DOCUMENTARY ACADEMY AWARD〡DOCAVIV 2018 - BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM AWARD〡DOCS BARCELONA 2018 - BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD〡EIDF 2018〡NORDISK PANORAMA 2018 - AUDIENCE AWARD〡DOCS MX 2018 - INNOCENT VOICES AWARD
"‘The Distant Barking of Dogs’ deftly weaves a precise coming-of-age narrative into its morally urgent anti-war tableau."
“Presenting war through the 'innocent eyes of a child' has been a standby of cinema alike for decades, so all credit to Danish documentarian Simon Lereng Wilmont for making his solo debut The Distant Barking of Dogs feel so memorably distinctive... [Simon Lereng Wilmont] shows a precociously mature touch here, tracing a couple of traumatic years in the life of fresh-faced Oleg Afanasyev as he grows up amid the cacophony of artillery fire.”
- The Hollywood Reporter
"Moving and effective... a touchingly intimate story about innocents caught in a no man’s land of conflict”
- Screen Daily
"Wilmont has crafted a beautiful, poetic observational documentary."
"With atmospheric images and an eye for visual details, [Simon Lereng Wilmont] is also able to add a surprising amount of poetry to an initially gloomy film."
- Modern Times Review