Producer Hayder Rothschild Hoozeer talks about BAFTA Award-Winning short film ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ to show at this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival

We live in a time of tremendous change, sadly conflict an indicator of the hostility harboured by century or decade-long tensions. 3 years post the ongoing Russian-Ukranian war and the impact of this conflict echoes through Europe and beyond. Lives devastated and changed forever. Made in collaboration with Ukranian communities, BAFTA Award-Winning short Film Rock, Paper, Scissors centres on a father and son who run a makeshift frontline hospital until their world is violently upended by the arrival of Russian troops. Ahead of the film’s screening at this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival on Saturday 16th August, producer Hayder Rothschild Hoozeer tells us more about exploring the film’s immediate reality further, how his production company Who’s Here? Productions approaches creating films and what he’s learned from creating Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Hi Hayder, your BAFTA-winning short film Rock, Paper, Scissors will screen at this year’s HollyShorts festival on Saturday, 16th August at the TCL Chinese Theatre. How are you feeling ahead of the screening?

It is a powerful moment. The TCL Chinese Theatre is an iconic stage for cinema, and to bring Rock, Paper, Scissors here feels like another step in the film’s journey of impact. I am proud that the story will be seen by such an influential audience in a place with such history.

Rock, Paper, Scissors is based on a true story having been crafted in close collaboration with Ukrainian communities and centres on a father and son who run a makeshift frontline hospital until their world is violently upended by the arrival of Russian troops. How did the team find exploring this pertinent reality further?

We approached it with care and respect. Every decision was shaped by conversations with those who had lived through these events or experiences like them. The emotional core came from their strength and humanity. It was important that the film reflected their reality with accuracy and dignity, so we worked closely with Ukrainian collaborators to ensure authenticity in the performances, environment, and tone.

Your production company Who’s Here? Productions champions films that entertain with emotional depth, cinematic scale and the kind of wonder that reminds us why cinema matters. You have firsthand experience from time spent on the ground in Ukraine during active bombardment, with personal ties to those displaced by war that has helped to shape Rock, Paper, Scissors. When crafting films, is there a set approach you follow?

I begin by finding the emotional truth at the centre of the story. Once that heartbeat is clear, everything else is built to serve it. For Rock, Paper, Scissors, that truth was the resilience of people living through the unthinkable. The time I spent in Ukraine after the film’s completion deepened my understanding and empathy for that resilience and reaffirmed the importance of telling this story. Good cinema is a feeling. Whatever the genre, it is the emotional impact that stays in the mind and heart long after the credits roll. That is the standard I hold for every project I work on.

The film is written and directed by Franz Böhm, produced by yourself and stars Oleksander Rudynskyy. How have you worked together to realise the film?

Franz and I share a belief in storytelling that is both human and cinematic. We developed an environment that prioritised truth, respect, and creative freedom. The performances, the cinematography, the sound design — every element grew out of that environment. An inspired Oleksandr and the rest of the crew deliver their best work. This is their film, and they can take pride in what we achieved together.

What have you learned or taken away from creating the film?

The value of trust. Trusting the story to guide decisions. Trusting collaborators to bring their best instincts. Trusting that authenticity resonates more than embellishment. This film reminded me that when you protect the integrity of the story, the work earns its own power.

What can viewers expect?

A story that draws you in with its humanity. The film is intimate yet expansive in scale, offering both the personal and the universal. It invites the audience into a lived reality and leaves space for their reflection. we carry empathy through entertainment.

What would you like for viewers to take away from the film?

An understanding that in war, the people we call heroes are often those who refused to stand by. I want them to feel the weight of that choice, and to remember that even in the darkest moments, human dignity and compassion endure.

Interview by Lucy Basaba.

Rock, Paper, Scissors will air on Saturday 16th August at the TCL Chinese Theatre as part of this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival.