LINA.
The untold stories of Ukraine’s children
Support our mission to bring the story of abducted children and children living in the occupied areas to the forefront through a documentary.
Through the eyes of Lina
The spotlight initiative
Support our mission to bring the story of abducted Ukrainian children to the forefront through a documentary
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Overview
The Humanity Funds is spearheading a new documentary that follows the life of six year old Lina who together with her family has been rescued from a Russian occupied village near Kherson.
This documentary is deeply emotional and focuses on the memories of the family, Lina’s struggle to find her voice, control and resilience again. The footage is powerful and the intense images of Lina have been compared to the portrait of Sharbart Gula, the Afghan refugee girl during the Soviet-Aghan War who Steve McCurry photographed.
The team of prominent Ukrainian and US filmmakers have taken great care and meticulous sensitivity to honor the storytellers, and to alert the world to the atrocities they are living through while elevating what is most needed to help them heal.
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Story behind
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly 3.7 million Ukrainians are internally displaced and 6.3 million have left the country due to Russian aggression as of January 2024. The vast majority are women and children.
Additionally, at least 19,000 (some estimates are as high as over one million) Ukrainian children have been placed by mainly Russian regional authorities into boarding houses, orphanages, camps, and foster families under the pretext of humanitarian assistance. Less than a 1,000 have been returned. As Russian authorities systematically erase children’s personal identities and Ukrainian heritage by issuing Russian identity documents often including Russification of their names, transportation far into Russia and propaganda and brainwashing not seen since WWII, the fate and whereabouts of these children are often unknown. No comprehensive database capturing these children exists and the children, their families and caregivers are running out of time.
The documentary is a major effort to capture the story of Lina and her family by following the family for over a year conducting interviews with Lina’s parents, teachers, speech therapists, village neighbors and other mothers who also fled Russian aggression with their families. What emerges is a roller coaster of emotions where the family struggles to stay warm and survive in their basement and eventually gets rescued by a team from “Save Ukraine”. Memories of burning forests, left-behind pets and harsh interrogations by Russian border guards contrast with the joy of the children when they eat ice cream again, play with friends, go to school and move into a new village. This documentary uplifts the voices of children. It shows destruction and struggle, but also the beauty of small things and the enchanting serenity of Lina’s village and new home.
Current achievements
The pre-production phase is completed. The footage of and interviews with the lead character, now six year old Lina, her mother, siblings, other mothers who were rescued and experts who work with Lina, have been completed. The footage is extremely comprehensive covering all seasons and various locations in Ukraine.
Next steps
Creation of Awareness and Bonding
This documentary is unique in that it focuses on one family and deep dives into its life and surroundings. The audience will witness the exhaustion of Lina’s mom; the effort of Lina to learn how to speak with a speech therapist at Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv; the family’s new home in a beautiful village in Podilsk; the surprise pet that Lina gets from a friend – it’s a world full of unexpected twists and turns amidst a brutal war. We hope that this story will resonate with the audience and incentivizes it to learn more.
Distribution and Fundraising
The Humanity Funds will actively promote this documentary to private and institutional stakeholders to raise funds that should enable the return of more children. The commitment of the Ukrainian non-profit Save Ukraine including their psychologists, speech therapists, caregivers, project managers and many more who go with the children and their families through their painful recovery process made it possible for us to see and grasp the magnitude of trauma, loss, effort but also the opportunities and dreams that children like Lina have.
Finalizing and Vision
As the production phase closes, the team will enter into post-production and market the documentary through 2025. The post-production phase is performed by 100% Ukrainian professionals who have followed Lina and her family for over a year creating an unusual deep bond between the film and editing crew, the family and the villagers. The documentary aims to bring that closeness to the audience with emphatic storytelling and sensitive footage.
