Dickinson Faculty Collaborate on Award-Winning Documentary

Film offers poignant views of global refugee crisis

by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

A timely documentary featuring the work of two Dickinsonians is gaining industry recognition for its poignant perspective on global events. Highlighting the personal stories of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland, A Return Home shines new light on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the plight of migrants worldwide. It recently garnered two early film-festival awards.

The 30-minute, cinema-verite film features the photographic work of Andy Bale, visiting lecturer in art & art history, and music performed by Jennifer Blyth, professor of music. It follows Nataliia Ruda, a Ukrainian journalist, as she speaks with Ukrainians seeking refuge in Ireland, a country that’s welcomed more than 112,000 Ukrainian refugees since the start of the current war.

A Return Home is part of “ARRIVALS: What's Left Behind, What Lies Ahead,” a series launched in 2019 by Bale in partnership with Jon Cox, a professor at the University of Delaware. Bale, the film’s lead photographer, and Cox, its director, met Ruda, a native of Ukraine's hard-hit Donbas region, during an “Arrivals” shoot in Slovakia and were eager to share her story in film. They brought on filmmaker Ben Hemmings to shape the visual narrative and enlisted a Ukrainian, Vadym Shapran, to edit the footage.

“We wanted to include people in this project who believe in what we’re doing—in sharing stories that need to be shared—and would really put their hearts into the work,” Bale says.

Deepening the Dickinson connection

Blyth, a pianist, joined the project last spring, after an inspiring collaboration at the embassy of the Slovak Republic in Washington, D.C. The embassy was hosting an “Arrivals” photography exhibition and film screening, and Blyth was planning to attend the opening reception. Hours before that event, Bale learned that there was a grand piano in the exhibition space, and he invited his colleague and friend to perform during the opening reception.

"Her performance, and the piece she performed, made the exhibition very special for me, because it added an additional medium to the experience—another way to express the things that are going on in the world,” says Bale.

“It was a powerful experience,” agrees Blyth, who viewed her role as a “liaison between the work and the people” viewing it, creating a unique experience.

Taking shape

By summer, Bale was in Ireland, preparing for the interview shoots. Back home, as the documentary took shape, Blyth and composer Patrick Long of Susquehanna University watched footage together, soaking in the rhythms and cadences of the spoken words and mirroring them in the music.

The piano soundtrack, recorded in Dickinson’s Rubendall Recital Hall with Dickinson sound engineer Patrick Oh, ripples throughout the film like currents of water, enhancing the pacing and amplifying the emotions of Ukrainians forced to begin their lives anew in a foreign land. The documentary also showcases Bale’s powerful and sensitive portraits of the refugees, which capture a distinct sense of each person’s humanity and individuality.

These elements enhance the moving stories of strength in the face of profound loss and uncertainty. Reflections, written and narrated by Ruda, weave throughout, as the narrator grapples with the knowledge that because her village was destroyed, she will never be able to return to the home she knew.

Coming to a screen near you!

Weeks after its final edits, A Return Home is under consideration at film festivals worldwide. It has already earned Best Documentary Short Film and Best Trailer honors at the 2025 Crown Point International Film Festival.

Inspired by last year’s powerful embassy exhibition and concert, Blyth and Bale are planning special screenings for the fall. For these events, the film’s score will be removed so that Blyth may perform the music live. An “Arrivals” book of photographs—depicting refugees in Boise, Idaho—will be released this fall as well.

“I think live performance brings a sense of urgency and presence to a film--especially now, when people can listen to recorded music anywhere at any time,” says Blyth, observing that the result is a more moving, as well as a unique, experience.

Three such screening-performances—one in Carlisle, as a part of the War, Peace & Justice Project; and others in Delaware and NYC—are in the works. Ruda is expected to attend and contribute to a post-screening conversation.

Speaking during the heady days after their initial festival wins, Bale and Blyth feel a sense of urgency in championing the film and the humanitarian message it conveys. “The subject matter was highly relevant last summer, when the interviews were filmed, and it is even more pressing now,” says Blyth.

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Published June 4, 2025