New Documentary ‘Fight for Ukraine: For the Children’ Exposes Both Horror and Hope in Ukraine

Produced and directed by ELYSIAN’s Karen Floyd, this film sheds light on the fight for peace and raises hope for the future.

This winter, prolific executive producer and director Karen Floyd is set to wide release the documentary Fight for Ukraine: For the Children.

The 80-minute documentary is a sequel to ELYSIAN Production’s 2023 nine-time international award-winning documentary, Fight for Ukraine: 12 Women’s War.

Inspired by a dramatic mural in Kiev of three pairs of hands – a male soldier’s enfolding a woman’s hands, which in turn are protecting a child’s – Floyd returned to the embattled country in October 2023 searching for the image’s deeper, symbolic meaning.

Filmed in various locations across Ukraine, this project focuses on a shared message of peace and a passionate desire for hope as the third anniversary of the Ukraine-Russia war approaches in late February. Marking a dark moment in history, the filmmaker takes the viewer on a winding journey of storytelling helmed by her intense vision for positive change around the globe.

Floyd’s profound mission is to give a voice to “the silent.” The former prosecutor and judge, women’s and children’s advocate, and founder of ELYSIAN multimedia produced the feature-length film to commemorate and highlight the fortitude, commitment, and sacrifice of the Ukrainian people on the eve of a dark moment felt everywhere.

In the face of danger and battle, and amid bombings in cities and villages, the documentarian enters the destroyed homes and devastated lives of women young and old, married and widowed, from all walks of life, looking for hope. Floyd takes the viewers on a journey through her experiences, witnessing firsthand the literal sacrifices of life and limb of Ukrainian combat soldiers on the frontlines.

Floyd found that the courage and perseverance of all Ukraine comes down to one thing:  the hope of a nation, and the future of the Motherland, is with the children of today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.

Floyd’s first film in the series, Fight for Ukraine: 12 Women’s War, took home the Outstanding Excellence award at the Documentaries Without Borders International Film Festival, and a Special Jury Award for Directing at the Awareness Festival in Los Angeles. It was named Best Human Rights entry at the Toronto International Women Film Festival, Finalist in the International Women Filmmakers Festival, Semi-Finalist at the Bridge of Peace International Film Festival and Honorable Mention at the Heart of Europe International Season Film Festival. And it was an official selection at the Valkyrie International Film Festival, International New York Film Festival and ETHOS Film Awards.