Tsjernobyl Hearts

Tsjernobyl Hearts is a psychological thriller short film that explores the fragility of memory and the impact of time on our perceptions.

Directed by Flemish filmmaker Emilie Verhamme, the film follows teenagers Jules and Adrien as they revisit the home they once lived in, only to find their past in an unrecognisable state. When they encounter the current owners, they are granted the opportunity to explore the house, triggering a chain of actions and reactions that challenge their childlike innocence and the manipulation of their shared memories.

Tsjernobyl Hearts is a culmination of Verhamme's multidisciplinary background. After graduating from the Hogeschool Sint-Lukas Brussel in audiovisual arts in 2012 and receiving a master's degree in law two years later, Verhamme's first short film, Cockaigne, was presented in the official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, where she met Australian producer Jessica Mitchell. Their meeting led to a successful collaboration on the award-winning Tsjernobyl Hearts, produced by Tomas Leyers of Minds Meet, which won the Belgian Wildcard award (60,000 Euro) at the Leuven Film Festival, providing Verhamme with the resources to make her very low-budget debut feature, Eau Zoo, produced by her company, Holden Wallace. With Tsjernobyl Hearts, Verhamme explores the complexities of memory and the human experience through a visually compelling and emotionally resonant narrative. The film invites audiences to reflect on the malleability of our recollections and the profound impact that time and perspective can have on our understanding of the past.