Oh, Sister! Nobel Laureates & Ukrainian Women on the Frontlines of War
Ordinary people have much more power than they think. The only thing that keeps me going… is the example of ordinary people.
-Oleksandra Matviichuk, 2022 Nobel Peace Laureate
Slightly less than one year ago, many in the world stood in shock as the first attacks by Russian forces were reported in major cities across Ukraine. These moments, caught on blurry videos in cities such as Kyiv, marked the beginning of the biggest escalation of armed conflict in Europe since World War 2. Since the start of the conflict, the United Nations has recorded over eight-thousand civilian deaths and millions of citizens displaced into neighboring countries.
Yet while millions have had to escape the literal and metaphorical battlegrounds, there are many who have remained to safeguard fundamental human rights in the face of war. The documentary Oh, Sister! sheds light on some of the stories most often overlooked amidst armed conflict - those of the women who play a central role in facing the challenges of war, keeping life going, and fighting for peace, justice and equality.
Nobel Peace Laureates Jody Williams, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkol Karman meet with Ukrainian women during their delegation "Standing with Women in Conflict" in 2022.
The film was commissioned by the Nobel Women's Initiative in partnership with United for Ukraine, following the journey of three female Nobel Peace Prize laureates & PeaceJam members - Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, Jody Williams of USA, and Leymah Gbowee of Liberia - to Krakow, Poland, and Lviv, Ukraine in June 2022. The delegation encompassed meetings with hundreds of displaced women as well as dozens of women-focused organizations, humanitarian agencies, and human rights organizations. The full report of the NWI trip is available to read here. The film was produced by Ukrainian production company 23/32 Films, and directed by Hanna Kapylova.
The film highlights the stories of six Ukrainian women at the frontlines of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Film-supporters and highlighted women from the film at a screening for "Oh, Sister!" in Munich, Germany.
- Oleksandra Matviychuk – human rights lawyer, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2022.
- Alla Melnychuk - Head of Mother and Newborn, a charitable organization helping to save lives of infants with severe health issues.
- Tata Kepler - a medical supplies volunteer, Head of Ptakhy Foundation providing tactical medical supplies on an industrial scale.
- Natalia Kudrych and Nadia Zhmykovska – train conductors for Ukrainian Railways.
- Lastivka - a medical platoon leader on the front lines.
The primary aim of the film is to generate support for women-led organisations in Ukraine, and continue to put pressure on the international community to ensure an end to the war, and the inclusion of women at all levels of decision making now, and in the eventual recovery and rebuilding process, is more important than ever. Screenings and events have already taken place with members of the European Union, Nobel Peace Center of Oslo, and the United Nations.
You can support these aims by sharing the film with your network, or hosting a screening!
The below resources are available for use:
- Trailer. A short visual introduction to the film.
- Screening and sharing resources, including:
- Screening Toolkit. This guide provides background information on the film, the context it was made in, discussion points, calls to action and other tools which can support efforts to host a screening.
- Social Media Graphics with quotes from heroines featured in the film.
For any enquiries about the film, including screenings, contact ohsister@nobelwomensinitiative.org
