My Dear Theo | Edmonton

Director: Alisa Kovalenko

Genre: Documentary

Year: 2025

Duration: 98 min

Language: Ukrainian and Polish, with English subtitles

About the film: When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, filmmaker Alisa Kovalenko enlisted in an armed unit to defend her country, documenting her experience on the front line and sending heartfelt letters to her son Theo.

Alisa’s camerawork in the film is moving, courageous, and human. Handleheld/creeping shots provide authenticity and a window into the lives of soldiers on the front line. Kovalenko’s film work mainly focuses on the time between combat shifts, where extended periods of waiting can make the distance between loved ones seem vast.

About the director: Alisa Kovalenko is a Ukrainian documentary filmmaker and ex-soldier in the Ukrainian Voluntary Army. Alisa was born in Zaporizhia, studied documentary filmmaking at the Kyiv Karpenko-Karyi National University of Theater, Cinema, and Television and went on to study at the Wajda Film School in Warsaw. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Alisa joined the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, promising that “if the war covers all of Ukraine, then I will fight not with my camera but with my gun.” Alisa is known for her film We Will Not Fade Away, where five Ukrainian teenagers living in the conflict-ridden Donbas region are given the opportunity to embark on a journey to Nepal to explore the Himalayas. The documentary is a moving portrayal of what life is like for young people in Ukraine who have aspirations in a time of conflict.

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For more information, head to: ukrfilmfestival.com
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Host or Publisher Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies