Where Hope Lives - Short Films

Where does hope live when home has been lost, childhood is interrupted by war, or the world feels impossibly vast?

Where Hope Lives brings together three striking films that find hope in unexpected places — in the freedom of a skateboard, in the healing language of dance, and in the extraordinary beauty of life itself. Moving from a refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan to the experiences of Ukrainian children and outward into the vastness of the cosmos, these films invite us to look beyond circumstances and encounter resilience, connection, wonder and the enduring human capacity to imagine something beyond the present.

Barika Rising — Directed by James Holman

Inside Barika refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan, the construction of the world’s first concrete skatepark in a refugee camp becomes the starting point for an intimate portrait of young people living with displacement. Rather than defining them by crisis, Barika Rising turns its attention to their creativity, agency and everyday lives. As the skatepark takes shape, it becomes a place for play, identity and community — offering a different lens through which to see young people too often represented only through what they have lost.

Yellow-Blue Butterflies — Directed by Yelyzaveta Golubenko

Through movement and dance, Yellow-Blue Butterflies gives expression to the experiences of Ukrainian children living in the shadow of war. Moving from inner chaos towards harmony, choreography becomes a language for emotions and trauma that cannot always be spoken. At its heart is the strength of young people, the power of solidarity and an insistence on hope for a future beyond war.

Spheres — Directed by Martin Gerigk

From the microscopic to the cosmic, Spheres is a poetic meditation on the astonishing interconnectedness of life. Moving through expanding spheres of existence, the film considers how the smallest vibrations echo into something infinitely larger. Beautiful and contemplative, it invites us to look more closely at the world around us and rediscover the wonder of simply being alive.

Together, Where Hope Lives reminds us that hope is not the denial of difficult circumstances. It can exist right in the midst of them — in creativity, in movement, in community, in beauty and in our ability to keep looking towards what might yet be.