The documentary ‘Castles in the Sand’, directed by Serhii Huleikov and produced by Mytia Zinoviev, tells the story of the artists and engineers who created large-scale art installations for the Burning Man festival. The film will be released in theaters on February 19
Work on Castles in the Sand lasted more than four years. From 2021 to 2025, the process included four expeditions by Ukrainian teams to Burning Man. The film explores the development, production, and the challenges involved in creating large-scale sculptures for the festival. In particular, it features the story of the tryzub phoenix by Oleksii Sai and Bohdana Kosmina, which represented Ukraine at the festival in 2023, as well as the 2024 and 2025 projects — ‘I’m Fine’ and ‘Black Cloud’.
The film is described as ‘a kind of quintessence of how Ukrainian art has integrated into the international context of Burning Man, and how, through art, Ukrainians speak to the world about themselves, the war, and contemporary Ukraine’. According to the team, Ukrainian works at the festival are now about memory, loss, resilience, and freedom — which is why they ‘become an entry point into the Ukrainian context for international audiences’.
‘We began filming this movie in 2021 with a different focus. But with the full-scale war, it — like our entire lives — changed dramatically several times. Some things lost their relevance, while others, on the contrary, gained new meaning. Despite this, the main idea remained that Ukraine always has something to offer the world — something that can surprise and inspire’, director Serhii Huleikov says.
According to Mitia Zinoviev, the lead engineer of the art objects I’m Fine, Phoenix, and Blue Bull, ‘the conditions at Burning Man are a relentless test of strength for the whole team — at every stage, from designing and preparing the artwork to installing or burning it in the desert’.
Screenings will take place at Planeta Kino theaters across Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv, as well as at Kyiv’s KINO42 cinema. Check the link for the full schedule.
In addition, the film team will host three special screenings with members of the creative team — in Lviv (February 21), Odesa (February 22), and Dnipro (February 25). Tickets are available for purchase here.
