‘Rescue’ is a feature-length documentary that follows people who risk their lives to rescue animals from active war zones in Ukraine. While millions flee the fighting, these rescuers move in the opposite direction — through shelling and mined roads — to reach animals left behind. ‘Rescue’ is not only a film about animal evacuation but also a study of moral choice under extreme conditions, as well as compassion as a conscious and sometimes radical act.
DARIIA MIKAHILENKO: ‘Rescue’ is a feature-length documentary that follows people who risk their lives to rescue animals from active war zones in Ukraine. While millions flee the fighting, these rescuers move in the opposite direction — through shelling and mined roads — to reach animals left behind.
The project is produced by Ukrainian activist and founder of the NGO Every Animal, Tamara Human, who said that ‘Rescue’ is not only a film about animal evacuation but also a study of moral choice under extreme conditions, as well as compassion as a conscious and sometimes radical act.
Filming took place across frontline and war-affected regions of Ukraine, including Kostiantynivka, Pokrovsk, parts of Kharkiv region, and Zaporizhzhia region. The film’s protagonists come from different countries but are united by a shared conviction that every life has value, regardless of species…
Among the animals featured is Olenka, a young goat evacuated from a destroyed village, who becomes a symbolic figure throughout the film, underscoring the moral weight of each rescue decision…
Sadie Frost, executive producer of RESCUE, described the film as “stunning and courageous,” adding: “It is a must-see film—to understand that every life matters.”
The film is directed by Alessio Schiazza, whose previous work Cuori Liberi explored the bond between humans and animals. RESCUE marks his first documentary filmed in an active war zone. SOURCE
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