A Poem for Little People follows Ukrainian evacuation volunteers on the frontline

A Poem for Little People, directed and filmed by Ivan Sautkin, follows a volunteer emergency evacuation team working in the east of Ukraine and records life in a town near the Russian border as the invasion unfolds.

The film captures intimate scenes on the frontline: a woman initially refuses evacuation because she is caring for her paralysed brother and a German shepherd until a volunteer explains the team will carry him and take the dog, and she agrees, wiping away a tear as explosions sound close by. Sautkin, who served as a volunteer, is the sole filmmaker behind the camera; there are no interviews, explainers or voiceovers, and the leader of the volunteers, Anton, remains a steady presence amid raw trauma and desperate situations. In one sequence, volunteers drive an elderly woman away from danger but question whether they are doing the right thing by putting her through an agonising journey.

In a second strand, Sautkin visits two friends and neighbours in a block of flats near the border: Zinaida, in her 80s, watches from her curtains and notes how many tanks arrive, passing the information to the Ukrainian army, while her neighbour Taisia writes poems lambasting the Russians. The film is observational and, the review notes, its lack of conventional commentary can make it hard to follow at times — "There are no little people here."

Key Topics

Culture, Ivan Sautkin, Volunteer Evacuation, Ukraine, Russian Invasion, Anton