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Don’t Leave Me Behind: Stories of Young Ukrainian Survival is the new documentary which uncovers the potent fears and surprising resiliencies of the millions of teenage refugees from Ukraine. In recognition of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine which triggered a mass exodus of 5.15 million Ukrainian civilians fleeing to Poland — half of them teenagers or younger – filmmaker Nathaniel Lezra brings viewers just miles from the Ukraine-Poland border where he chronicles the lives of Ukranian teenage refugees as they process the unimaginable trauma of being displaced from their country and separated from their fathers fighting the war at home.

Don’t Leave Me Behind: Stories of Young Ukrainian Survival highlights two teenagers Oleksandra "Sasha" Kunitska, 18, and Daria "Dasha" Unger, 15, in their new lives as they try to find normalcy in Poland - through volunteering work, mental health support, family and friendships - while maintaining hope for their families left behind, home country and their own futures.

Nathaniel Lezra is a filmmaker based in New York City and Los Angeles. He has directed and produced award winning work in the documentary, narrative, and commercial spaces. His creative calling is to tell humanist stories that illuminate experiences outside the norms of contemporary American culture. In 2023, he co-founded the international documentary production company The Dock Creative, which specializes in non-fiction social impact storytelling in the documentary film and series spaces. ​