Ukrainian World Congress and Oscar-nominated director Afineevsky unite to protect Ukrainian children

Ukrainian children have been living through war for the fourth consecutive year: attending school under air-raid sirens, growing up faster than they should, and learning to cope while the world around them falls apart.

To ensure the voices of Ukrainian children are not lost amid headlines and statistics, the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) has partnered with Ukrainian-American director Evgeny Afineevsky as part of the global campaign Stand With Ukraine: Protect Future Generations. The collaboration will showcase Afineevsky’s documentary Children in the Fire.

Afineevsky’s new documentary tells the stories of eight Ukrainian children whose childhoods were shattered by war — through occupation, deportation, injuries, and the loss of loved ones.

“When a war lasts for years, there is a risk that human stories get buried under headlines and analytics. For UWC, this partnership is a way to keep the focus on Ukrainian children, who are paying too high a price for this war, and ensure the world continues to hear them,” said UWC President Paul Grod.

The documentary not only reveals the scale of violence these children endured but also highlights their inner strength — their ability to speak about trauma, process loss, and find a path forward despite experiences no child should face.

“We are all parents and more than anything we want to see a healthy smile and a future for our kids. For me as a parent, seeing pain and resilience of a little one, impacted me so much that I decided to bring a maximum spotlight to them and give them a voice through the large cinematic screen,” said Afineevsky, director of Winter on Fire and Freedom on Fire.

He adds that the film is not a catalogue of horrors, but a tribute to the human spirit of children. 

“Ukrainian children’s resilience, strength and ability to overcome these tragedies and losses, make each story a great inspiration for everyone. They had strength to overcome the darkest moments this war brought upon them and with dignity win this war.  They are little hero’s and can through their story’s inspire others. And while the film is specifically about Ukraine and its children, there are universal themes that will resonate with audiences around the world. Their stories are incredible, resilient, happy, sad and overall moving and relatable.  They found the strength to survive and move forward. Their stories have the power to change lives, impact audience and inspire political decision makers creating “call for action.”

The film premiered in the United Kingdom in June 2025 at the 33rd Raindance International Film Festival, where it received an Honourable Mention from the jury. The movie also had it Gala Premiere at the 16th Odesa International Film Festival. Early screenings were also held in Germany during the Munich Conference and UK Parliament.

Children in the Fire won two top awards at the 64th Monte-Carlo Television Festival: the AMADE Special Prize and the Jury Special Prize.

Watch the movie trailer:

Ukrainian communities and organisations can request screenings, including events around Feb. 24. All inquiries and technical questions can be sent to [email protected] and [email protected].

Screenings or events can also be registered on the campaign map, and campaign materials can be accessed via the official link.