What does it mean to grow up when war has taken away the safety of childhood? CHILDREN IN THE FIRE follows eight Ukrainian children whose lives have been changed by Russia’s invasion. Some have survived missile strikes and serious injuries; others have endured forced deportation, captivity or separation from home. Each carries an experience no child should have to face.
Rather than speaking about them from a distance, director Evgeny Afineevsky gives the kids space to tell their own stories. Documentary footage is interwoven with animation, showing us memories and experiences while keeping the children’s voices at the centre. Alongside painful accounts of violence and loss, the film follows their determination to continue learning, pursuing their interests and imagining a future.
From the filmmaker behind WINTER ON FIRE, this documentary is both a record of the harm inflicted on Ukraine’s youngest generation and a portrait of the lives they are building beyond it.