New Documentary at Tribeca Film Festival Highlights Ukraine Family Helped by Central Wisconsin Farm Family

Monday, July 24th, 2023 -- 11:00 AM

(Keith Uhlig, Marshfield News Herald) The documentary opens in Ukraine, sirens blaring over visuals of bombed-out buildings, a family frantically evacuating an apartment, explosions, glass shattering, a child screaming.

According to Keith Uhlig with the Marshfield News Herald, then, peaceful orchestral music plays over a drone shot of a quiet, picturesque farm surrounded by snow and the words "Unity, Wisconsin." It's the beginning of the 25-minute film, "One Good Reason."

The movie unspools the unlikely story about how a family from Lviv fled Russian bombs for the safety of a family farm in the town of Colby, a handful of miles northwest the tiny town of Unity. Directed by Emmy winners Perry Peltz and Matthew O'Neill, the film was produced by Tribeca Studios and unveiled at the Tribeca Film Festival in June.

"One Good Reason" follows Mykola and Olesia Hnatiuk and their two sons, Roman, 6, and Dmytro, 3, as they settle in a new life on the farm thanks to the generosity of farmers Bryce and Maxine (Max) Luchterhand. The documentary includes the unique program that brought them together.

They met through an online platform called Welcome Connect, which, almost like a dating app, matches refugees with American sponsors. It’s run by Welcome US, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization helping people from Ukraine and a few other troubled regions.

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