In the early days of October 2022, two people ran a mercy mission to rescue a group of women and children waiting in a bomb shelter in western Ukraine. The day before they were to arrive, October 9, the great bridge linking Crimea with Russia and its supply line was successfully bombed.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that it only provoked a hornets’ nest of retaliatory strikes all over Ukraine.
It was the prescient idea of Eduardo Llop, and Rafael “Rafa” Moreno, associated with Accio Familiar Barcelona, a Spanish NGO already involved in Ukraine, to take a camera crew on their rescue trip.
Stringed music throughout the film defines the mood. There is urgency, excitement, worry, and sadness in the air as the two men anxiously fly from Barcelona to Warsaw. Eduardo and Rafa pass long lines of vehicles fleeing Ukraine and a long caravan of trucks trying to enter with life-saving material.
Worried, they drive over the Polish border to Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. Upon hearing about the bridge hit, they know their journey has increased in danger. An 11 PM curfew has been established because most bombs hit at night.
Since Ukrainian men from 18 to 60 years old are prohibited from leaving the country and are conscripted to serve in the army, their wives and children have been left to fend for themselves.
Mother Maria Cristiana Demianczuk, who speaks fluent English, is the heart and soul of this film. She sets a positive tone, but inside, she worries about their plan to save the women and children hiding in the bomb shelter. It’s not the money. Everything is paid for by Accio Familiar Barcelona (AFB). The problem is the intermittent bombing.
AFB has been working in Ukraine for several years. It’s mission “is to respond to the needs and demands of the Family, being a spokesperson for their demands before public and private administrations.” When the war came, they expanded their mission in Ukraine to the evacuation and safe settlement of the Ukrainian soldiers’ families.
“We can’t help everyone, but we have to help those that come into our way” (Mother Maria Cristiana Demianczuk).
This is not a political or historical film on why the Russian invasion of Ukraine developed, or a partisan political call about what to do now. Instead, it is a gorgeously-produced film about the bright light of human goodness amidst evil.
Rating: 10/10
Credits
Director: Mike Dorsey
Executive Producer: Steven Campos
Producers: Steven Campos and Mike Dorsey
Featured: Eduardo Llop, Rafael “Rafa” Moreno, and Mother Maria Cristiana Demianczuk
Cinematography: Terry Pratt and Jacopo Campaiola
Website: https://www.sistersofukraine.com
Release: Home video on Aug. 1, 2025, and platforms like Apple TV, Prime Video and others.
Support: AccioFamiliarBCN
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