Netflix’s ‘Winter On Fire’ Producer Den Tolmor Behind Ukrainian Feature Inspired By Legendary Canadian Sniper Wali

EXCLUSIVE: Academy Award-nominated Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom producer Den Tolmor is creating a feature based on Wali, the Canadian ‘lone wolf’ sniper who spent the first two months of the Ukrainian war fighting the Russians.

Provisionally titled The Good Fight, Tolmor, who has spent much time filming in Ukraine since the 2014 annexation of Crimea, is penning with Nicholas Klein (The Million Dollar Hotel). He hopes to start shooting later this year and the pic is currently part funded.

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The film is inspired by the man nicknamed Wali, an excellent ‘lone wolf’ sniper who has also spent time fighting in Syria. He travelled to Ukraine from late February to early May and, although the Russians claimed they had killed him, he resurfaced in Canada shortly afterwards.

The Good Fight tells the story of a retired Navy Seal who travels to Ukraine to see his son before the outbreak of Russian aggression forces him to wade into the battle. To restore relations with his son, he engages in the fight against the Russians.

“I want to present this story through the Western gaze,” Tolmor told Deadline. “It doesn’t matter if about a Canadian or American, this is the story of a guy with a different attitude who gets involved with the Ukrainian situation. Everyone who I’ve pitched the synopsis to has understood the message.”

Along with The Good Fight, Tolmor has spent the past months completing post-production on the final TV show to be filmed in Ukraine before the war started – comedy series From Ukraine with Love – which is being distributed in the U.S. by Propagate.

He is best known for producing and writing Academy Award-nominated 2015 Netflix doc Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom about the Euromaidan protests. Past credits include 2017’s Cries from Syria and 2020’s Francesco.

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