Support 'They Needed Soldiers', UCLA undergrad thesis film following a woman Soviet sniper in WWII.

HI EVERYONE!

We are the team behind 'They Needed Soldiers', a UCLA undergraduate thesis film which tells the story of a woman Soviet sniper in WWII and her chance encounter with two German troops in the freezing tundras of the Eastern Front. Our team is comprised primarily of current students and alumni of UCLA's School of Theater, Film, & Television, who have come together to help shed light on a subject that has been hidden from history for far too long.

We have been fortunate enough to have already undergone production, and are now currently seeking funds for finishing the project!

Still from They Needed Soldiers - Malika Kanatova as Sofya trudging through the freezing terrain.Taking place during the winter of 1943, our story follows Sofya Garachuk, a Russian sniper, who is out on her own with a single purpose, to pick off any remaining Nazis who cross the sights of her sniper rifle...

The title of our film is derived from the desperation that the Russian Army faced during WWII. In dire need of any and all support they could muster, women were more than willing to join the fight, with more than 800,000 Soviet women serving in the Armed Forces during the war.

As his official capstone project culminating his time at UCLA, director Martin Gonzalez Quintero sought to intertwine his own love for historical films (particularly those set during WWII) with a desire to promote often unheard stories. Despite the enormous contributions of women to the eventual victory of the war, there are very few stories of this type that present women at the forefront. 

Resultantly, Martin has dedicated this film to his 4 sisters, the role models and confidants in his own life.

Director Martin Gonzalez Quintero in conversation with actors Jakob Evers as Private Hermann (left) and Sam Franke as Private Otto (right).UCLA requires film students to entirely self-fund their capstone projects, which is why we need your help!

The good news is... we have already shot the film. After a week of lodging together in the snow and working in freezing temperatures with the most exceptional cast and crew ever assembled, we have officially wrapped principal photography.

We are now entering into post-production for the project, meaning we are actively looking for funding for resources such as visual effects, the opportunity to work with a professional colorist, sound design, a proper score, & eventually, the ability to send the film out to festivals.

While our shoot did in fact prove to be a massive success, it unfortunately was not very cheap. The combined costs of lodging the entirety of our cast & crew, dealing with the cold and extreme weather conditions, and providing period-accurate costumes and weapon replicas (an absolute priority for our director) pushed our budget past its initial threshold.

 With your help, we will be able to fundraise the final amount needed to make this film a reality!

 

Snow rains down on actress Malika Kanatova and Director of Photography Jackie Fang.

 

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