Sean Penn to Exec Produce James Marcus Haney’s ‘Black Sunflowers’ Ukraine War Doc (Exclusive First Look)

James Marcus Haney made his name as a filmmaker sneaking into Coachella, Glastonbury and other top music festivals by posing as press to get exclusive footage of pop stars and their performances.

That need to gate crash marquee festivals with his camera was captured in his 2014 feature documentary No Cameras Allowed. Now Haney is headed to the Toronto Film Festival with Black Sunflowers, a feature documentary about Ukrainian youth coming of age amid martial law as they move between underground raves and car racing on the home front and the brutal front lines of war against Russia. Related Stories Movies 'Demons' Explores the Russia-Ukraine Relationship via Borscht, Blood and Graves (Exclusive Trailer) Movies Martin McDonagh, Werner Herzog, Cody Fern Films Round Out 2026 Toronto Fest Lineup

The first images for Black Sunflowers , which will have a Sept. 11 world premiere in Toronto, has young Ukrainians facing tragedy and duty as soldiers on the front lines, while they find distraction on concert dance floors, in relationships or bonding at a local watering hole.