Anya
ANYA is a heart-warming tale charting twenty years in the life of a Russian orphan.
Directed by Damien O'Connor, ANYA was created in conjunction with the Irish charity To Russia With Love to help them raise funds to continue their work with abandoned and orphaned children. The 5-minute CGI short film tells the moving story of Anya, a young girl whose life unfolds over twenty years after arriving at a Russian orphanage on a snowy night.
Written and directed by Damien O’Connor and produced by Edel Byrne, Anya features original music by Darren Hendley (Octonauts, Olivia) with vocals by acclaimed Irish singer Lisa Hannigan. The voice cast includes celebrated Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova as Adult Anya, adding authenticity and emotional depth to the story.
The short film premiered at a special charity event in Dublin, Ireland on April 18, 2015, organized to support To Russia With Love. After the premiere, the film was released online to raise awareness globally.
After being approached by To Russia With Love founder Debbie Deegan to create an ad for the charity, director Damien O’Connor decided a short film would be a far better way of making an impact. Inspired by his own trip to the orphanage, the film follows Anya, a little orphan who makes her way to the To Russia With Love orphanage, where she receives an education, support and a future.
"The idea was simple; we make an engaging piece of animation, one that ideally packs an emotional punch. If people are charmed or moved by it, they show their appreciation by sending a donation directly to To Russia With Love. Unlike an advert, people are more likely to share a film online with friends or family, which of course helps spread the word about the charity. It's 'visual busking' in a way. We're all used to charity singles and calendars, so we applied the same approach to a full four minute computer animated film instead.”—Damien O'Connor
The production of Anya began in February 2013 when Damien O'Connor travelled to the Hortolova Orphanage in Russia where To Russia With Love operate to meet the children.
"The first preview screening of Anya took place in one of our orphanages in Russia and the children of To Russia With Love all loved it. That was always a huge part of the goal as this film was created for them and the storyline is based on what we give each child under our wings of care, love and protection.”—Debbie Deegan, founder of To Russia With Love
The short received the following awards and nominations:
- Fastnet Film Festival - Best Short Film Nominee
- Alliance Business to Arts Award - Highly Commended
- Dublin Animation Festival - Winner Community Recognition
- Hsin-Yi Children’s Awards Taiwan - Best Animation Nominee
- Hang On To Your Shorts Festival New Jersey - Best Animation Nominee
- SDGI Best Director Of Irish Animation Award Nominee
- Limerick Film Fest Winner Best Overall Film
- Limerick Film Fest Best Sound
- CTLPDX - Honourable mention - Animated, Coming of Age, and Family
Directed by: Damien O'Connor
Produced by: Edel Byrne
Music by: Darren Hendley
Vocals by: Lisa Hannigan
Narrated by: Chulpan Khamatova
Duration: 5'
Year of Production: 2013
