Rise; First Steps, Second Time, weaves together the untold stories of Ukrainian women - the mothers, daughters, artists, and soldiers - who hold their communities and county together through war and devastating loss.

We hold space for their stories because propaganda thrives when silence takes hold.

This story matters to us because it unveils the truth;, that Ukraine is not at war by choice, they are defending their right to exist, to speak their language, to live without terror knocking at their door.

The current situation in Ukraine is not just a military act, it is a war against women, against culture, and against sovereignty. The women of Ukraine - their art, their voices and their history, - are under siege, yet they rise; as creators and protectors, building new bridges from the rubble.

Rise; First Steps, Second Time, is both a tribute and a transmission; of sorrow, strength, and sacred truth. We hold a light to that truth, to ensure we convey the unfiltered narratives of Ukrainian women, luminous pillars of survival and hope, whose resilience and unity,, against all odds, and, despite injustice and war, continues to carry their country forward.

At its heart, Rise; First Steps Second Time is a love letter [to the world] that speaks to the resilience and sovereignty of all women. ‍It is a reclamation of narrative that chooses to look at the raw truth, walk through it, and emerge holding a mirror to what is most human in us: the will to begin again.

Ukrainian women face the daily reality of war, human rights violations and state-sanctioned terror.

This film is our offering;; to amplify their voices, honor their strength, and remind us all that storytelling is not passive— it is protest, and in that protest, we remember and we heal.

Because the truth matters and Ukrainian women were never meant to be footnotes.

We make films that matter. This is one of them.

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