What Became Of “Beauty”? Ukrainians Fleeing War Leave Behind Dogs, Cows, Possessions In ‘In The Rearview’ – Sheffield DocFest

deadline.com:

In the Ukraine-themed documentary In the Rearview, a young girl and her family ride in a van over bumpy roads, on their way – if all goes well – to safety across the Polish border.

In her hand the girl grips a piece of paper bearing essential information: her name, age, and a phone number to call in case she falls victim to Russian bombing and her body is discovered in a pile of rubble.

The film, directed by Polish documentarian Maciek Hamela, captures that moment and other details that bring home the reality of a war that has killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians and displaced millions more. “’If lost under rubble,’ that was a thing at the beginning of the war they gave to all kids, these notes,” Hamela explains. “They had to have one in their pocket and one in their backpack, so if they were taken out of a bombed building, they had phone numbers to call.

All the kids had it.” When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Hamela immediately sprang into action as a volunteer, helping drive refugees to neighboring Poland. “I can fairly say that more than half of the Polish society got involved in the war.