Ivan Ostrochovský and Pavol Pekarčík went to Ukraine with humanitarian aid in the spring of 2022 and spent four months filming. Photophobia follows twelve-year-old Niki and his family, who come to a metro station in Kharkiv to hide from the bombing while their house was being destroyed.

The film was produced by Slovak Punkchart films and Czech Cinémotif Films in coproduction with the Radio and Television of Slovakia, Arthouse Traffic (Ukraine) and the Czech Television with support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, the Czech Film Fund and the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic.