I was finishing my second semester of a master’s program in documentary filmmaking in Budapest when Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of refugees rushed into Hungary, and my classmates and I went to the train stations to offer our help.

Seeing those forced to leave their homes, I wondered what I could do as a documentary filmmaker. Can film express what they are going through? Did I even have the right to try to tell their stories? Even after finishing this film, these questions still haunt me.

The short documentary above is my attempt to capture the poignant story of two young Ukrianians, Andrei and Alisa, as they try to rebuild their lives away from home and without their parents.

Ruslan Fedotow is a documentary filmmaker based in Germany.

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