Movie Monday: Hope in the North: A New Home, A New Beginning

Movie Monday is our weekly film series where we share short documentaries created through See Stories programs. These films highlight stories of place, culture, and community from across Alaska, created by students, educators, and community members who are documenting the histories and experiences that shape where they live.

This week’s film, Hope in the North: A New Home, a New Beginning, shares the powerful stories of Ukrainian refugees who have resettled in Anchorage, Alaska. Produced by Anchorage Educator, Krystyna Cullom, during the Anchored Histories Alaska intensive in Willow in June 2025. During this See Stories professional development retreat, educators explored storytelling as a way to share culture, history, and place-based knowledge through film. We are continuing our new series of Movie Monday by featuring this powerful film of the stories of individuals and families who have had to make a new home in Anchorage, and this film explores life before the war, the difficult journey to safety, and the process of building new lives in an unfamiliar place.

“In the cold, remote land of Alaska, a new chapter begins for those who fled from the devastating war in Ukraine.”

Viewers hear directly from people like Anna, a mother whose maternity leave was interrupted by war, and Liubov and Yevhenii, former restaurant owners whose family business and future plans were suddenly taken from them. Their stories reflect both the deep loss caused by displacement and the strength it takes to begin again.

The film weaves together personal interviews, reflections in participants’ own language, and memories from their lives in Ukraine to create a deeply human portrait of resilience. Anchorage becomes more than a place of refuge—it becomes a place where community, support, and small acts of kindness help shape new beginnings.

“Now we live only day by day and with hope…”

Even in uncertainty, hope remains at the center of each story—hope for stability, for reunion with loved ones, and for a future rebuilt.

🎥 Watch the film, Hope in the North, and listen to these voices of resilience and renewal, or click on the still below:

 

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you about how each person described their life before the war compared to their life now?
2. What does “hope” look like in this film? How is it expressed differently by each person?
3. What responsibilities do communities have in welcoming and supporting people who are starting over in a new place? How might hearing stories directly from individuals change the way we understand global events like war?

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