Documentary cinema today is increasingly becoming a space for honest conversation about war, trauma, and human resilience. This is exactly the kind of film “Between Two Skies”, the directorial debut of Ukrainian American filmmaker and civic activist Lana Brooks. The film focuses on the lives of Ukrainians who were forced to leave their home cities after the start of the full-scale war and to build new lives abroad.
At the center of the film is not politics or a chronicle of combat operations, but people. The camera listens attentively to those who endured occupation, loss, a dangerous path of emigration, and the difficult process of adaptation in a new country. Among the protagonists are a father who survived the events in Bucha, a mother who risked everything for the safety of her children, as well as young Ukrainians searching for themselves in a new culture without losing their connection to their homeland.
The film is structured as an emotional journey—from the pain of saying goodbye to home to the gradual restoration of inner stability. Archival footage intertwines with personal confessions, and the film’s visual language emphasizes the fragile state of people who seem suspended between the past and the future.
The strong emotional impact of the film was also noted by viewers at the first screening. Taisiia Shakula, one of the attendees, shared her impressions:
“Thank you to the entire film crew and the protagonists for this work. This film, without embellishment, sheds light on the inner experiences and difficult challenges that every Ukrainian has been living with since February 24, 2022, to this day. It shows true values and the cost of change. Personally, many moments were so powerful that they brought me to tears.”
“Between Two Skies” is a story of life in between—between countries, languages, and a sense of belonging. According to director Lana Brooks, the idea for the film was born from numerous conversations with refugees who rarely speak openly about their experiences. Their pain often goes unnoticed, because physical survival does not always mean inner peace. It is this silence that the filmmaker seeks to make audible, showing the strength of people who continue to live despite their losses.
The film’s protagonists also shared their personal experiences. Margaryta Marushchak from Kyiv emphasizes the film’s sincerity:
“This is a brave and very honest film. The stories are different, but the pain is the same for everyone. Each protagonist faced a difficult choice and made the only right decision for themselves and their family.”
For Khrystyna Vasylevska from Lviv, participation in the project became an emotional experience:
“During the interview, I seemed to be calmly telling my story, even with a smile. But when I saw myself on the big screen, I cried. It felt like I was watching my own life from the outside and, for the first time, truly realizing what I had gone through.”
Another participant in the film, Viktoriia Placencia from Kyiv, admits that watching the film was extremely difficult for her, but necessary:
“This war is too painful and cruel for me. Throughout the entire film, I cried. But at the same time, I wanted to show that even the most tragic events can change life. Fleeing the war, I found love, created a family, and gave birth to a child. When I crossed the ocean, I could not even imagine such a future.”
The film’s director, Serhii Kerkez, notes that working on the film was a special experience for him:
“I have worked with video for many years, but documentary cinema is a space where it is important not to rush to conclusions. It was crucial for me not to speak on behalf of the protagonists, but to give them the opportunity to tell their own stories about their path between war, relocation, and the attempt to start again. This is not a generalized portrait of Ukrainians, but a careful documentation of several personal stories.”
Director of photography Maksym Kurganskyy adds that the film’s visual language is deliberately restrained:
“We worked with natural lighting and focused on the person. The camera does not distract from the content, but only emphasizes the presence of the protagonist in the frame and the overall emotional tone of the scene.”
The film team is currently preparing for upcoming screenings and is seeking partners among cultural institutions and venues. After the first screening in New York, the film will travel to Staten Island, and later will be presented in Boston and Los Angeles, expanding the geography of the dialogue and engaging new communities in the conversation.
During the premiere screening, $830 was raised in one night, which will be donated to the Sunflower of Peace foundation.
“Between Two Skies” is a film that does not provide ready-made answers, but compels viewers to listen, empathize, and remember: behind every statistic of war, there is a human life.
Viktoriia Shapovalova
