UKRAINIAN VOICES: BUD'MO

Since the start of the war, the United Kingdom has welcomed over 200,000 refugees from Ukraine, the majority of them women. Each arrival is a life turned upside down, an individual processing serious trauma, but they've all had no choice but to carry on in a new culture, language and society. This documentary takes three women from different generations and explores what their lives have been like in this country for the last two years, as they adapt in unfamiliar surroundings while the conflict rages back home. Ariana, 14, schoolgirl. Forced to grow up quicker than she otherwise would have, in order to support her mother with her two younger brothers. She's changed country, school and friends, just as she navigates the enormous shift from childhood to adolescence. Inna, 43, mother, daughter, doctor. She had to flee some of the fiercest fighting in Ukraine, taking her family with her in a terrifying drive across Europe. Her home lies in ruin and she faces an uncertain future. Lidia, 73, volunteer. Born into a village of Ukrainian settlers in what is the heart of Russia today, her drive to help in whatever way she can has sustained her from Ukraine to England. Set in London, Reading and Peterborough, where they eventually ended up with host families, the film is an honest, moving and at times uplifting portrayal of three ordinary women who have had to cope in extraordinary conditions, without letting it break their spirit. The title comes from the Ukrainian tradition of toast-giving and literally means 'Let us be'. It encapsulates the dignity, resilience and quiet determination that countless Ukrainian refugees have shown since they arrived in this country. A directorial debut from Joseph Terry, who was inspired to make this film after hosting refugees from Kyiv and led a production team made up of displaced Ukrainians.