Blue Skies Over Donetsk

Just like the rest of the world we watched. Watched as thousands were killed and millions more were displaced from their homes in Ukraine. But, unlike many, we watched from the screen of a fire station TV. We watched as unimaginable suffering was distilled down to a mere 30 seconds of stock footage in a news story. Like many, we wished we could help, but felt useless. What could we as two firemen in middle America, more than an ocean away, really do? Nothing really.

But documentary work is not about believing in yourself, but believing in the power of the story you tell. We began to wonder: could we take that 30 second clip and grow it into 30 minutes of unfiltered, untainted testimonies from those who have suffered most? Could we find subjects who could paint an honest image of the Russian-Ukrainian war with their own blood, sweat and tears?

The only thing that stood between us and the answer to these questions were a couple of plane tickets and our own apprehensions.

Thanks to the unwavering support of our community and the courage and hospitality of the Ukrainian people, we were able to follow a handful of them into the combat zones of the Donetsk Oblast. To their credit alone, this film exist—-and their story is told.