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Out From the Ashes

A Ukrainian family’s journey through hell and salvation begins with the destruction of their Mariupol home in the first days of Putin’s war. Mother, daughter, and grandmother cower in a bombed-out basement for a month of terror and darkness, until Russian soldiers force them out at gunpoint. Dragged past corpses and rubble, they’re imprisoned in a filtration camp in the occupied region of eastern Ukraine's Donetsk. Risking everything, they smuggle a message out to a friend in the United States, and an international rescue effort begins. Out From the Ashes opens an intimate window into the survival of a single family of remarkable women. This is just one story among millions, and it's a story that needs to be told.

  • Brandon Katcher
    Director
    Circular Resonance, Truth is Beauty, A Gentle Walk
  • Ken Pontac
    Writer
    Lazy Town, Arthur, Happy Tree Friends
  • Suzanne Denebeim Atherly
    Producer
    VFX - Get Smart, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
  • Fax Bahr
    Producer
    Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, In Living Color, Gary & Mike
  • Deborah Acosta
    Producer
    Truth is Beauty
  • Milena Barshatskaya
    Key Cast
    "Milena"
  • Ken Pontac
    Key Cast
    "Ken"
    Lazy Town, Arthur, Happy Tree Friends
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Thriller, Drama, Mixed Media
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 28 minutes 33 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 26, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Mexico, Ukraine, United States
  • Language:
    English, Russian, Ukrainian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4K, Mixed Media
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Brandon Katcher

Brandon Katcher grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. From a young age, he developed a devotion to film, in particular, cinematography. After attending the film program at Syracuse University, Brandon decided to pack his camera on his back and travel to India and Nepal, documenting his spiritual journey to Everest Base Camp. This became "A Gentle Walk", his first feature documentary. Since then, he has created and been a part of projects ranging from Auto Racing, Wine and Travel, Music, Spirituality, Horror, and the Natural World. Utilizing a unique filming and editing style, Brandon continues to seek out intriguing and thought-provoking subjects for his work.

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Director Statement

Brandon Katcher - Director
"Out From the Ashes" has been a labour of love for myself and our entire production team, and very much a product of being in the right place at the right time. From the very beginning, when we learned of Milena and her family’s intimate and harrowing tale of survival, we knew that we had to pursue it, regardless of funding, time, and lack of content. Because this one story, representing millions of destroyed lives, cannot be left untold.

Ken Pontac - Writer
I make kids’ cartoons for a living. Rescuing my Ukrainian friend Milena from a Russian camp was the last thing I expected to do, let alone create a documentary about it. Texting Milena in the camp, keeping her spirits up, we planned to write a book when she was free. "Who will play us in the movie?" I joked. Her response was immediate. “You and I will. Nobody else can do it.” A year and a half later, she was right. This is a story of adversity, strength, family, and an international team uniting to save a stranger. It’s one tale among millions, but it must be shared. In the end, it’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.