One wish. Christmas with a family.

A Christmas ad about a girl wishing to spend Christmas with a family. For SOS Children's Villages we also produced reels, a radio ad and photographs.

CLIENT GOAL

Show a child wishing for Christmas with a family and encourage support for SOS Children's Villages

APPROACH

Casting, staging to the SOS storyboard, filming, photography, edit, colour and sound

CHANNELS

Internet and radio: main ad, reels, website backgrounds, photographs and stills

What we made for SOS

SOS Children's Villages · Christmas campaign 2026

Preparation and filming
- Casting
  We cast a young actress as Zosia and planned time for her to meet the dog before their first scene.
- Filming the ad
  We staged, filmed and directed the apartment scenes to the SOS Children's Villages storyboard.
- Photography session
  We reserved separate time for photography. I made 17 photographs to accompany the film.
Finished assets
- 4K and Full HD ad
  A 58-second film in 16:9. The client also received a 4K version without captions, with the logo at the end.
- Four 9:16 reels
  Wish, 78 Thousand, First Christmas and Dog. Each was delivered with and without captions.
- Radio ad: 30 seconds
  A separate audio version for Radio ZET and TOK FM.
- Two website video backgrounds
  16:9 and panoramic versions with space for website text, both silent and with separate preview images.
- 22 stills in 4K
  Caption-free frames selected from the finished film, supplied separately from the 17 photographs.

Our eleventh project with SOS Children's Villages. I believe in what they do for children.

Working with a child and a dog

My dog Harry appeared alongside the young actress. I wondered how he would react to an unfamiliar apartment, crew and equipment. The concerns soon passed: the girl formed a real connection with him, and filming those moments came naturally. My wife Magda cared for Harry, led him through the scenes and handled all the work with him. I could focus on filming and directing.

From storyboard to finished film

SOS supplied the storyboard. Zosia prepares the apartment for Christmas: drawing, sticking up cards and adjusting her collar at the mirror. Only the wide shot reveals her on the sofa beside drawings of her parents. The filming and edit protect that reveal, which changes how viewers understand the earlier scenes.

Photographs by Michał Liszcz

Photography: Michał Liszcz. The girl and Harry at the drawing table.

Photography: Michał Liszcz. SOS used this frame in its campaign announcement.

Photography: Michał Liszcz. Drawing at the table.

Photography: Michał Liszcz. A portrait with crayons and paper.

Voices and sound

We recorded the girl on set and also used the voice of actress Anna Dereszowska. Household sounds needed attention: when the girl stops drawing and reaches towards the dog, the pencil sound stops too.

The radio version was edited separately from the child and Anna Dereszowska voices and music, telling the story in 30 seconds without images. Each reel has its own edit and framing. Some vertical versions stack two images to preserve the wide compositions. Website backgrounds are silent, with space beside the girl for text in the panoramic version.

RESULT

Photographs published by SOS

On 6 November 2026 SOS Children's Villages announced the campaign on its website. It used one of my photographs of the girl and dog on the sofa and credited Motion Pikczer as a studio involved in the ad.