Two volunteers from Barcelona travel to a convent in western Ukraine where nuns are aiding refugees following the Russian invasion. As the missile attacks on all of Ukraine surge to unprecedented levels following the bombing of the Kerch Bridge in Crimea, the nuns and volunteers take a group of three-dozen refugees and families of soldiers fighting in the war on a three-day journey across Europe to housing near Barcelona.
Cinematography by two-time Emmy Winner Terry Pratt (Life Below Zero) and Emmy winner Jacopo Campaiola (The Trade).
Mike Dorsey is a documentary filmmaker, television producer, and editor, based in Los Angeles, California. His documentaries include the 2023 war documentary “Sisters of Ukraine”; the WWII film “Lost Airmen of Buchenwald”; “The Oyler House: Richard Neutra’s Desert Retreat” about mid-century modern design; and the true crime documentaries “Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders” and “The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter.” “Murder Rap” was adapted into the 2018 scripted series “Unsolved” for NBCUniversal, starring Josh Duhamel, which Mike also co-produced.
As a television producer, he was the co-executive producer/showrunner and editor for 2022’s hit series “Ghost Adventures: House Calls” on Discovery+. Prior to that series, he produced and edited the paranormal documentary classic “Demon House” for Ghost Adventures’ Zak Bagans. From 2020-21, he was a producer for the automotive-themed crime and mystery series “Auto/Biography” on Discovery’s MotorTrend network. He has 18 other television producing credits in a career that spans nearly two decades.
In his spare time, Mike produces and co-hosts the popular “Dearly Departed Podcast” on Hollywood history with historian Scott Michaels. He holds a business degree in Marketing from Arizona State University, and grew up in the suburbs of Southern California and on a ranch in southwest Colorado.
Director Statement
When we set off on our journey to film Sisters of Ukraine, we expected a relatively quiet production. That sounds naive to say about entering a country in a fight for its very survival. But the area of western Ukraine we were heading to had not been touched by the war in months; not since the airbase next to the convent that would be hosting us was struck by the Russians one hour after the war began in February 2022.
Even when the Kerch Strait Bridge connecting Crimea was bombed the night before we drove into Ukraine, in an incident that sent shockwaves across the world, we still didn’t grasp how quickly the wind can change direction. On our first day in Ukraine, we heard our first air raid sirens; on day two, the entire country fell under a massive Russian missile attack for the first of what has now become near-daily attacks by waves of missiles and drones against civilian targets across Ukraine.
Sisters of Ukraine is a war documentary about the lives behind the front lines; the lives Ukraine’s soldiers are fighting to protect. We spent four days with a convent of nuns who have taken on the mission of aiding refugees from the war; both those who have fled the eastern part of the country for the relative safety of the western side, and those who want to leave Ukraine completely for neighboring countries.
The subsequent 2,500-mile, three-day journey by land out of Ukraine and across Europe with a group of three-dozen refugees and families of soldiers fighting in the war, into the welcoming arms of an aid organization in Spain, is the film’s emotional payoff. But what my crew and I will never forget is witnessing these incredibly brave young nuns, led by Mother Cristiana, who have truly dedicated their lives to the service of others, face the greatest challenge of their lives. I believe we’ve made a film that is just as memorable.
Mike Dorsey
Director:
Mike Dorsey
Producer:
Mike Dorsey, Steven Campos
Talent:
Eduardo Llop,
Rafael Rafa Moreno,
Sister Maria Cristiana Demianczuk,
Belal Hibri (Colorist)
