Razom Talks with Alisa Kovalenko & Kiyoko McCrae | My Dear Theo | Razom Cinema

As part of Ukrainian Cultural Festival, Razom Cinema team programmed a series of films that spotlight Ukrainian voice from various perspectives. This screening of "My Dear Theo" was done in partnership with Chicken&Egg Films!

February 2022. Ukrainian filmmaker Alisa Kovalenko resolves to fulfill a promise she made to herself: to volunteer in the Ukrainian Armed Forces if the Russian invasion of her country escalates to full scale. Leaving behind her 5-year-old son, Théo, she goes to fight on the frontline.

This film, which was never meant to exist, was born from the effort to preserve—amidst the horrors and dangers of war—evidence of a mother’s unwavering love for her child. Through intimate video diaries and poetic letters addressed to a future, grown-up Théo, Alisa captures the devastating reality of war while reflecting on her choice to serve. Her camera reveals both the chaos of destruction and the profound humanity she finds among her fellow soldiers—their unbreakable friendships, mutual support, and tender connections with distant loved ones.

Serving both as a mother’s testament of love and a war documentary, the film interweaves Kovalenko's personal journey with the larger narrative of those fighting to ensure future generations may live in peace. This first-person documentary offers an intense, intimate perspective on the human cost of war and the profound bonds between parent and child that endure even in the darkest times.

Through her lens, Alisa Kovalenko honors both the living who serve and those who made the ultimate sacrifice, never to return to their families.

We had the pleasure to be joined by Alisa and her son Theo as well as special guest Kiyoko McCrae (Program Director at Chicken&Egg Films) for a conversation how was the process of filming such a personal message and the conversations she had with her son.

More about the film: https://chickeneggfilms.org/filmmaker...

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