Oscar-winning cinematographer and long-time Steven Spielberg collaborator Janusz Kaminski has boarded a new short documentary examining the Ukrainian refugee crisis as executive producer.
Ukrayintsi u Vyhnanni (Ukrainians in Exile) comes from director Janek Ambros and was shot in March in the Polish city of Premzsyl. Due to its location near the Ukrainian border, Premzsyl became the starting point for hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February. In March, it was reported that up to 50,000 refugees were arriving in the city each day.
Rather than interviewing refugees who fled, the short doc visually depicts the crisis on the border, but is narrated by an anonymous woman, still residing in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. She speaks in Ukrainian of her experiences and contemplates those who were forced to leave and whether or not other countries will embrace her fellow Ukrainians.
Ukrainians in Exile is now due to have its world premiere at the Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico, taking place Oct. 22-29. It will then play at the Polish Film Festival LA at Noho 7 on Oct. 30.
“I hope this documentary encourages people to warmly welcome Ukrainian refugees that are in dire need of help as well as other refugees from other conflicts,” said Ambros, whose most recent film was the comedy Mondo Hollywoodland and who previously directed the documentary Imminent Threat, tackling the War on Terror.
Ambros produced Ukrainians in Exile via his own Assembly Line Entertainment. Alongside Kaminski — who landed Oscar wins for Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan, and most recently shot Spielberg’s The Fabelmans — Robbie Leacock also exec produced the film.