Happiness

HAPPINESS
Writer & Director: Yann les Jours
Produced by Kotti Films
8'14" _ France _ 2025
Black and White + Colour _ DCP or ProRes _ 2k 1,79.1 / Stereo or 5.1 / language : English

credits
production : Kotti Films
countries of production : France
direction, editing : Yann les Jours
cast : Katia Bilokon
music : Container

Synopsis
Katia lives in Berlin since 2022, she is fleeing a war. As she reflects on the deep wounds that a war can leave, she tells Yann how important and inevitable it is to try to be happy.
Meanwhile the clouds are drifting in the night, people are drifting in th clouds, in the streets, at sea.

Download Press Kit + Stills and Poster

world premiere at FLIGHT – Mostra Internazionale del Cinema di Genova 2025

Director Statement

I‘ve met Katia during spring 2022 as I was volunteering for NGOs in Berlin supporting people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
After several encounters in various contexts linked to the Ukrainian community in Berlin, I offered her and her 16 years old son to spend some longer time for a more personal interview.
It’s in their temporary home of Kreuzberg that they received me. Katia had a lot to say.
Many times, she referred to the search for happiness as her best ally in facing her reality of war refugee.
That question / quest, came back to me recently, when, in a private conversation the existence happiness was subject to debate. I found myself contradicting myself in affirming the reality of this concept, then doubting about its existence. The words of Katia about "wanting to be happy" / "trying to be happy" came back to my mind... Happiness was not about being happy, but about aiming at it and working on that goal.

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