“Hope For the Dawn To Come,” the first Philippine-produced documentary about how war transforms the lives of children, premiered Thursday (January 29) at Gateway Cineplex with scores of diplomats, journalists, and civil society leaders in attendance.
The 38-minute film — shot over four years in Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic — follows schoolchildren who pursue education and normalcy even as Russian attacks threaten their future.
Monsi Alfonso Serrano, founder and publisher of THEPHILBIZNEWS who took many of the footages himself, said the documentary aims to broaden understanding not only of the Russia-Ukraine war, now entering its fourth year, but also of emerging geopolitical threats that echo far beyond Europe.
“Despite the war they continue to go to school, they don’t care about the bombing. I hope that kind of resilience would resonate with the Filipino youth — valuing studies,” Serrano said.
Film editor Vince Zarate noted that while editing the film, Honey Academy in Kharkiv, which was where some of the films were shot, was later destroyed by relentless shelling.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the Philippines, Yuliia Fediv, said the film serves as a vital counterweight to misinformation and apathy.
“I can give you the numbers — of bombs dropped, schools bombed, children affected, but giving face to the numbers gave the film its power,” Ambassador Fediv said.
Aricel Garcia of Fuji TV, who attended the screening, called the film both “touching” and “powerful,” especially as most of it was told in the voices of the children themselves.
Garcia took note of the Ukrainian ambassador’s message that everyone — diplomats, journalists and citizens — needs to “do their duty and be enlightened of what’s happening in the world.”
Diplomats connected the film’s message to wider fissures in the global order. Israeli Ambassador Dana Kursh said showing the reality through children’s eyes is “amazing.”
EU Ambassador Massimo Santoro, who said he had also been in Ukraine to see the war for himself, framed the documentary within calls for an end to the war, warning that “the bigger victim here is the international rules-based order.”
While “Hope For the Dawn To Come” brings audiences face-to-face with the human toll of war, the geopolitical landscape is shifting in multiple theaters:
Former US President Donald Trump has sought to “acquire” Greenland from Denmark, including talk of military options, alarming European leaders and raising questions about the future of alliances such as NATO.
At the start of 2026, U.S. forces conducted a dramatic operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Experts warn that actions in Venezuela could shape how other nations, including China, gauge the resolve and methods of global powers, with potential implications for security calculations in other regions.
In the Pacific, Taiwan remains at the center of simmering geopolitical competition between Beijing and Washington. Control of Taiwan, together with the West Philippine Sea, given their strategic location and role in global trade and regional defense, remains a flashpoint where the rules-based international order and power politics collide.
“Hope For the Dawn To Come” is a non-commercial documentary produced by The Philippine Business and News (THEPHILBIZNEWS) and rated PG-13 for its educational and inspirational material.
Beyond telling one story of resilience, it invites audiences to reflect on the broader global shifts that are shaping the futures of children in war-torn lands, contested seas, and strategic islands — from Kyiv to the Arctic to the Pacific.