Integral to the Clooney Foundation for Justice and in the field of human rights as a legal expert, Anya Neistat has sought restitution for victims of mass atrocities for two decades. Produced by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton’s HiddenLight Productions, The Cranes Call finds Neistat in her next fight: investigating the crimes of Russian generals against Ukrainian citizens over the past two years. By her side every step of the way is Solomiia Stasiv, a young Ukrainian woman just entering the field. Together, they travel to all corners of the Ukrainian map, speaking to survivors of violence, digging through wreckage and piecing together clues from an ongoing conflict. The dedication and sensitivity with which Neistat and Stasiv work to build their case, alongside co-founder of the Clooney Foundation, Amal Clooney, is countered with scenes of their life at home: for Neistat, a bustling apartment full of young children and a husband and, for Stasiv, a family grappling with the daily trauma of living in a country at war. 

Laura Warner’s searing documentary is a beautifully crafted story and a masterclass in human rights work — a tale of two women who risk their lives in their relentless pursuit to prevent more atrocities from happening in a country reeling from ongoing violence.––Liza Domnitz

Laura Warner