‘The story is not over’
Two Springfield firefighters film documentary in war-torn Ukraine
Jeffrey Weeks and Eli Davidson have long accepted the inherent risk that comes with being a Springfield firefighter, and so have their families.
Their pregnant wives weren’t quite as understanding when the two men initially pitched the idea of entering war-torn Ukraine in the pursuit of a hobby.
Bonded by hoses and public service, Weeks and Davidson also share a passion for filmmaking. When presented the opportunity to be embedded with a
Ukrainian man amid the country’s invasion by Russian forces, it was an opportunity they couldn’t refuse.
They proceeded to raise thousands of dollars, took time off of work, and worked out the planes, trains and automobiles logistics of entering an area of the world mired by conflict for more than two years.
The most arduous part of their recent journey? Saying goodbye, if only for couple of weeks.
“I remember dropping my daughter off for school before we left, and I got teared up,” said Weeks, a 35-year-old Rogersville resident, about departing from Springfield for Europe last year. “I wasn’t 100% sure I’d see her again.”
He and Davidson, 26, returned to the Ozarks with hours of footage that would be cut down into a 30-minute production “Blue Skies Over Donetsk” that has been selected for film festivals across the country, including the Cleveland International Film Festival.
In the documentary, Weeks and Davidson follow the life of a 43-year-old Ukrainian man, Andriy Kolbovsky, who delivers stoves to families on the frontlines without power while also trying to cultivate a relatively safe and normal environment for his children near a war zone.
The two men have since returned to
Ukraine for a second documentary and to follow-up with Kolbovsky, who Weeks said still faces the prospect of