Fundraise for a short film "Family Tree"

My name is Dimitri Nasennik and welcome to the fundraising page for the short film "Family Tree"

The Story
It will be a 20–25 minute short comedy that tells the story of a foreigner traveling to a Ukrainian village to find his long-lost relatives.

The Vision

Idea is to show the world of Ukrainian culture, specifically through the lens of our Easter traditions. By placing a foreigner in the middle of these rituals, we can create needed contrast for a comedy. As a signature of our community, you’ll also spot NAFO patches.

Here is 4 minutes video with my explanation of the movie: 

The goals
I see 3 types of goals behind this project:

Short term 
We are inviting as much as possible active-duty personnel with a background in cinema to join our cast and crew. For example, Alex (Blogger) from the 79th Brigade will be taking on a major role.

Mid-term 
To raise funds through online ticket sales for limited community screenings of the movie. These funds will go as aid to the soldiers participating in our film. Last time, with “The Land We Fight For,” we raised 1.5 times the movie's budget.
Watch trailer here: https://youtu.be/c1bbZNwncdI?si=0h4iPJZc87QkY8hD

Long-term
To enter the film into various international festivals. This will help tell our story and attract more attention to Ukraine. Because it is a comedy, it will be much easier to get into many festivals. 

For more details of the movie concept, heroes, vision and statement, read here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16suPR9_LtIGBvMdN3c-Ok8TgLELiVU57KqMVbMvJhBs/edit?usp=sharing

The Budget
Since we aim to reach festival audiences, we want to produce a film of the highest quality, which is reflected in our target goal. I tried to hold it as minimum as possible. For transparency, I’ve outlined all the costs in this spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1m0TPLWMqaTsA3Sx8jgRuFw-iSLdzg1Zyrlo3a-GLFfQ/edit?gid=1692803347#gid=1692803347

What You Get After Donating

From 5€ 

1. General Support.
2. Early Access to the Movie: You’ll get to watch the movie as soon as it’s ready, even before the festivals (July 2026).
3. "Behind the Scenes" Chat Membership: You’ll gain access to a closed group where I’ll share behind-the-scenes stories and challenges we face. 
4. Your Name in the Credits: Every supporter will have their name in the final credits (unless you wish to remain anonymous - mark it while donating).
5. Access to the Film "The Land We Fight For": It is now on film festival run, but you will get limited access to it. 
6. Closed Online QnA Session with the Crew/Cast: After film release (July 2026) we will make online session where you could ask any question about the film from the core crew and the cast. 

From 100€ 

• All above + A limited campaign patch: Receive the "Culture is the Ammo" patch, inspired by President Zelenskyy’s message to filmmakers.

From 1,000€

• All above + A Personal Message in the Film: We will integrate your name or a short personal message directly into the film’s visuals (e.g., as an "Easter egg" on a background prop or a dedicated frame).

From 3,500€ 

• All above + Associate produce rank + Crew/Cast signed flag: You will be officially credited as an Associate Producer in the film and on IMDb (unless you want to stay anonymous). We would create a private WhatsApp group for APs. You will have a direct line to me to influence key decisions - such as choosing between alternate endings

From 5,500€ 

• All above + Co-Executive produce rank: You will be officially credited as an Co-Executive Producer in the film and on IMDb (unless you want to stay anonymous). We would create a private WhatsApp group for C-EPs. You will have a direct line to me to influence key decisions - such as choosing between alternate endings

From 10,000€ 

• All above + Executive produce rank: You will be officially credited as an Executive Produce in the film and on IMDb (unless you want to stay anonymous). Join Us on Set: A unique opportunity to join our film set in Ukraine, Kyiv. Experience the magic of a professional film set firsthand, meet the cast and crew, and see how we bring this story to life.

How Will We Raise Money for Ukraine?
Our plan is to create the best film possible and then place the movie on a Pay-Per-View platform (e.g., €5 per ticket). All proceeds will go to HELP99.co, and if we sell 400 tickets, we can fund a truck, 800 tickets - 2 trucks etc!

Deadlines

• Filming: April 2026
• Post-Production: May-June 2026
• Movie Ready: July 2025

My Filmography 

„Chika/Safety pin“ 2020, short narrative

„One day with Karina Lange” 2020, short documentary

„One day with Maksim Nikolaev” 2021, short documentary

„One day with Feodosija Nasennik” 2022, short documentary

„The Purpose“ 2024, shot narrative
“No Sleep Til Kyiv” 2025, documentary (as creative producer)
“The Land We Fight For” 2025, documentary

Possible donation methods:

Credit/Debit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, GPay, Crypto, IBAN, BANK TRANSFERS (SEPA, iDEAL, Bancontact, SOFORT Payments), 

For the USA (tax deductive):
ACH, Venmo, Stocks, Credit/Debit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay. 
https://donorbox.org/family-tree-film-s-campaign-501-c3 
Checks. Ship it to Patriots for Ukraine, 1900 Curry Ford Road Orlando Florida 32806, USA.

Donation via IBAN
If you want to donate via IBAN, please use next details:

IBAN: EE592200221078942924
BIC/SWIFT: HABAEE2X

NAME: Rotary Klubi Tallinn Vanalinn MTU

Description: For the "Family Tree" film. 
(this is also Estonian tex deductive)