Field of Vision Releases Ukraine War Doc *When It Started to Burn*
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- Field of Vision launched the documentary short When It Started to Burn on Ukrainian Independence Day, the third in a trilogy by director Anders Hammer focusing on global conflicts and civilian resilience.
- Anders Hammer traveled to Kyiv immediately after Russia began its 'special military operation' in February 2022, spending four years filming the documentary that follows Kseniia, a Kyiv resident who establishes a volunteer center during the war.
- Kseniia, a local from Kyiv, is portrayed in the film as choosing between reuniting with her children abroad or staying behind to protect her community amid ongoing warfare and transformed urban landscapes.
- Field of Vision describes the film as documenting both the brutality of war and the solidarity among civilians facing extreme danger, highlighting personal sacrifice and collective resistance in Ukraine.
- Anders Hammer previously directed Do Not Split, an Oscar-nominated short about Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, and The Takeover, which examined the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan.
Why it matters: The release of *When It Started to Burn* on Ukrainian Independence Day centers civilian agency and emotional toll in wartime narratives, offering a human-scale counterpoint to dominant military-focused coverage. With four years of footage, it captures long-term psychological impacts often absent in real-time reporting, making Kseniia’s choice emblematic of broader national struggles over survival, belonging, and resistance.
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