2022 Movies : War

With Helen Mirren • Evgeny Afineevsky

Crafted from stark footage and exclusive interviews with people displaced by the enduring conflict, Freedom on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom reveals how the spirit of unity strengthens morale even amid the country’s darkest hours.

When Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, its citizens instinctively renewed the survival strategies that sustained them eight years prior during the Maidan Uprising. This companion piece to director Evgeny Afineevsky’s Academy Award nominated documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom explores why a jubilant day on Kyiv’s Maidan square instigated warfare that has lasted the better part of a decade. Broadening his focus from a single city, Afineevsky and his veteran Winter on Fire crew turn their lenses on multiple countries, trailing both the Ukrainians trying to escape and those who have vowed to stay behind.

A sweeping look at a humanitarian crisis, the documentary amplifies the views of children, mothers, soldiers, doctors, artists, volunteers, clergymen, and journalists who are transformed while witnessing ceaseless destruction and bloodshed. Featuring narration from Oscar-winning Dame Helen Mirren, Freedom on Fire is a saga of resilience that challenges the international community to oppose tyranny together.