Independent documentary · In pre-production

Full-scale invasionDay 1,701· 21 October 2026

Five YearsThe Human Cost of War

An independent, feature-length documentary about the people living through Russia’s war in Ukraine as it approaches its fifth year.

Format
Feature-length documentary
Status
Pre-production
Filming
Kyiv · Odesa · Kharkiv
Director
Richard Glazunov
Producer & DP
David Sunshine

About the film

Synopsis

Five Years: The Human Cost of War is an independent, feature-length documentary exploring the human experience of Russia’s war in Ukraine as it approaches its fifth year.

Through intimate conversations and observational filmmaking in Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv and near the front lines, the film follows Ukrainian service members and civilians: their personal histories, motivations, relationships, experiences of war, and hopes for the future.

Taking a grassroots, human-centered approach, the project looks beyond the headlines to the people, identities and aspirations that persist amid the uncertainty of war.

Where we will film

Planned locations
Map of Ukraine showing filming locations Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, with Kyiv, Odesa and Kharkiv marked. RUSSIA BELARUS BLACK SEA UKRAINE KyivКиїв OdesaОдеса KharkivХарків
Filming locations · Borders as internationally recognised

Kyiv

Київ

Civilian life, volunteers and families in the capital.

Odesa

Одеса

A port city living with regular strikes and a changing economy.

Kharkiv

Харків

Ukraine’s second-largest city, roughly 30 km (about 20 miles) from the Russian border, which leaves residents with almost no warning before missile and glide-bomb strikes.

Front-line areas

Прифронтові території

Only with official accreditation, in permitted zones, and accompanied by press officers as required.

Approach & commitments

How we work
  1. 01
    Follow martial-law rules. We will work within the requirements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defence, including zone restrictions and press-officer guidance.
  2. 02
    Protect operational security. We will not film or publish military positions, equipment locations, air-defence activity, or the timing and location of strikes in ways that could aid the enemy.
  3. 03
    Informed consent. Everyone who appears on camera gives informed consent in their own language, and can ask to be anonymised.
  4. 04
    Protect participants. We will blur or withhold identities where being shown could put a person or their family at risk, including relatives in occupied territories.
  5. 05
    Work with Ukrainian partners. We will film with experienced local fixers and credit Ukrainian collaborators.

Filmmakers

Production team

Richard Glazunov

Director

Richard Glazunov is an independent filmmaker and researcher based in New York. He served for five years in the U.S. Navy as a combat medic with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, conducting tactical recovery operations.

In 2026, he graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in Government, focusing on international relations. His academic work and research have explored the war in Ukraine, authoritarian regimes, and national security.

His documentary work seeks to explore the human experience of conflict through intimate storytelling and firsthand accounts.

David Sunshine

Producer & lead cinematographer

David Sunshine studies English Literature and African American Studies at Harvard University. His previous experience includes teaching mathematics and English in Africa and volunteering at an orphanage in Hebron, in the West Bank.

He has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and beyond, including Syria, Iraq, and Ukraine, with a particular interest in exploring different cultures and gaining firsthand perspectives on the people and communities he encounters.

Про проєкт

Українською

«П’ять років: людська ціна війни» — незалежний повнометражний документальний фільм про людський досвід російської війни в Україні напередодні її п’ятого року.

Через відверті розмови та спостережну зйомку в Києві, Одесі, Харкові та поблизу лінії фронту, фільм розповідає про українських військовослужбовців і цивільних: їхні історії, мотиви, стосунки, досвід війни та надії на майбутнє.

Ми працюємо відповідно до вимог Збройних Сил України та Міністерства оборони, дотримуємося правил воєнного стану і не публікуємо інформацію, яка могла б допомогти ворогу.

Contact

Press & accreditation

For press officers, fixers, festivals and partners: