After the Rain centers on Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during the war, including Veronika and Sasha, who were deported but later repatriated. It follows their journey of healing at an animal therapy retreat in Estonia.
PRODUCER’S NOTE
For modern-day Russia, the abduction of Ukrainian children is a genocide tool used against our nation. As a result, these vulnerable youth are ‘re-educated’ in special camps or forcibly adopted into Russian families. Ideologically, Russian attempts to make them part of the ‘Russian world’ and use them for military purposes to fulfill Russia’s imperial goals. Once again, it shows that Russia is determined to wage a long-term, exhausting war against Ukraine and humanity.
In the occupied territories, many children were taken away from their parents, who had to go through humiliating filtration camps and long interrogations; some of these parents even disappeared without a trace. Given the circumstances, finding the exact location of the abducted children and negotiating for their release is an extremely difficult and dangerous task.Nevertheless, Ukrainian authorities, alongside international organizations and tireless activists, put maximum effort into bringing back as many children as possible.
The documentary “After the Rain: Putin’s Stolen Children Come Home” was created to describe Russia’s crimes against humanity to a broad audience across the globe. Together with the civilized world, we need to unite efforts and return the abducted children to Ukraine. Such horrible crimes simply cannot go unpunished. In this fight against evil, cinema is also a weapon, and telling the true story of these innocent children is another step towards justice.
Sarah McCarthy is a documentary director whose films have premiered at A list festivals including Telluride, Toronto International Film Festival and DOC NYC. Her most recent film ‘Anastasia’ was shortlisted for the 2023 Academy Awards. Sarah has brought stories from Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US to millions of people in over one hundred and twenty countries.