on StageOne
$20 + $6 Fees
Special Connecticut Benefit Screening
A one-night cultural and community event featuring Second Wind — presented in support of Ukraine Aid International and Connecticut’s Sister City partnerships with Ukraine.
🇺🇦 This screening supports Ukraine Aid International’s ongoing humanitarian efforts, including clean water initiatives in frontline regions of Ukraine.
Recommended for audiences ages 12+.
About the Film & Event
Second Wind (2025) is a powerful Ukrainian documentary directed by Masha Kondakova. The film follows four amputee soldiers and one wounded female sniper as they take on the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Their journey is one of rehabilitation, resilience, and deep human connection - redefining trauma through strength, hope, and brotherhood.
This is not a typical war film. It is a deeply human and inspiring story, suitable for a broad audience, including older children.
The evening will include a pre-event reception, followed by the film screening and a Q&A discussion with the film’s producer, Gena Gazin. Through storytelling and community engagement, the event aims to raise awareness and support for Ukraine during this critical time. This event will support Ukraine Aid International’s ongoing work delivering humanitarian aid to the frontline Donetsk region, which is under constant Russian bombardment.
Background/Ukraine Aid International (UAI)
Shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Westport brothers Brian and Marshall Mayer founded the U.S. based nonprofit organization, Ukraine Aid International. UAI’s mission: to deliver humanitarian aid to frontline (close to the border) Ukrainian cities that larger NGOs cannot go. For financial support, UAI quickly established sister-city relationships between Connecticut towns: Westport, Weston, Easton, Ridgefield, Stamford, Fairfield, Greenwich, Sacramento in California, Ashland in Oregon and Ukrainian conflict-affected regions in the state of Donetsk: Lyman, Sviatohirsk, Siversk, Druzhkivka, Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, Izium, Sumy. On August 7, 2025, the State of Connecticut and Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine formally launched a historic Sister State partnership, marking the first agreement of its kind between a U.S. state and a region on the frontlines of war. For nearly 4 years, UAI has delivered critical humanitarian aid - generators, water filtration systems, utility vehicles, medical supplies, and other life-supporting essential equipment - directly to more than 450,000 beneficiaries.