N.S. filmmaker captures war in Ukraine with new documentary

Nova Scotia filmmaker Joshua Saunders spent 135 days in Ukraine, and now he’s bringing those images of war home to raise money for people impacted by the conflict.

“When the full-scale invasion broke out in February of 2022, I felt an obligation and a responsibility to answer some of those questions that I had been developing over the years,” Saunders told CTV News Atlantic’s Katie Kelly.

His debut documentary, “Last Ride Home,” follows the people providing life-saving medical aid in the war and the emotional toll it has on their families.

“What is the soldier experience like on the frontlines?” he said. “What’s the impact on families who are waiting at home in uncertainty and wondering what the fate of their loved ones are?”

Saunders travelled to Ukraine three times, visiting the Donbas, Kyiv, Lviv and more, often living alongside the people who starred in his film.

“I slept on their living room floor,” he said. “I was editing clips from the day while they were watching television and cleaning their weapons for the next day.”

Saunders will screen the film at the Spatz Theatre in Halifax on Jan. 18. All proceeds will go to Children of Heroes, which helps Ukrainian kids who have lost their parents in the war.

“These are real stories of real people who are in a circumstance that they don’t want to be in and they shouldn’t be in and they have to be in as they fight for survival and for the freedom of Ukraine,” he said.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.