Photophobia

Ukraine, February 2022, Niki, aged 12, and his family are forced to flee their home and take shelter in Kharkiv metro station to protect themselves from the war. Niki is forced to make the metro station his playground, as the outside world and daylight are synonymous with danger. As he wanders aimlessly among the abandoned carriages and occupied platforms, Niki meets 11-year-old Vika, and a new world opens up to him. Photophobia shows the daily lives of many people confined to metro stations from a child’s point of view and under the glare of neon lights.