Ash and Crayons, a powerful documentary from Oscar-nominated documentarian Evgeny Afineevsky about Ukrainian children whose lives have been dramatically impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine, has been acquired by Briarcliff Entertainment for a North American theatrical release on Nov. 20 — World Children’s Day — and robust impact and awards campaigns, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.

Afineevsky, a Russian-born Israeli-American who has also made acclaimed docs about everything from the war in Syria (2017’s Cries from Syria) to the late Pope Francis (2020’s Francesco), has been a devoted chronicler of war in Ukraine for over a decade, dating back to 2015’s Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, for which he received his Oscar nomination, and its sequel, 2022’s Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.

Ash and Crayons combines verité footage and animation created by Ukrainian artists to tell the stories of seven Ukrainian children as they exhibit remarkable resilience in the face of unimaginable horrors, from catastrophic injuries to forcible deportations. An early cut of the film was recognized with the prestigious Cinema for Peace Award in Berlin, which was presented to Afineevsky by Hillary Clinton.

Briarcliff is run by veteran film exec Tom Ortenberg (Crash and Spotlight), who tells THR, “All of us at Briarcliff are proud to be associated with such a strong and affecting film, and we look forward to bringing it to audiences this fall.”

Adds Kevin Goetz, one of the film’s producers, “We are so thrilled to have partners in Tom and Briarcliff who share our commitment to bringing these powerful and inspiring stories to the world. Evgeny is one of the great documentarians of our time. This is a film about hope and resilience, about seeing beyond the ‘ash,’ so to speak.”

Afineevsky himself states, “I am so honored to share the inspirational stories of these incredible children. As they have said to us, ‘Even broken crayons can color.’ I’m also extremely grateful for the hard work of 100-plus Ukrainian artists and industry professionals inside war-torn Ukraine, support of the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine and the Ukrainian State Film Agency (Derzhikino), as well as the support and expertise of my producers, Kevin Goetz and Galyna Sadomtseva-Nabaranchuk.”

Australia‘s content makers have a fight on their hands to keep the attention of the country’s viewers, new research has shown.

A Screen Australia report, Screen Curreny 2026, found that while 85% of Australian say access to local content is important, and 75% want more, 60% spend less than 30% of their viewing time on it. Furthermore, only 36% say it’s easy to find.

This is despite the TV, film and games sectors contributing more than A$11B ($7.8B) to the economy in 2023/24, the most recent financial year records available – and employing more than 70,000 people in 2024/25. Further stats show exports hot A$1.6B in 2023/24, primarily driven by gaming. Exports have increased by an average 15% year-on-year since 2016/17.

Shows such as Colin From Accounts, The Narrow to the Deep North and Top End Bub are among breakout titles from the country over recent year. Despite the momentum, Screen Australia CEO Deidre Brennan warned reach was critical to building momentum.

However, as with other countries, younger audiences are increasingly reliant on algorithms, platforms and recommendations for viewing choices, and will favor games, streaming and short-form content to traditional TV content.

“Australia has extraordinary talent and internationally recognised capabilities, but there is no doubt we are in a pivotal moment of transformation for the sector,” said Brennan. “We want our communities and experiences reflected on all screens, but ensuring we reach people is now as important as producing that content.

“Future success will require support for Australian businesses to build enduring intellectual property, strengthen audience relationships, improve discoverability and compete confidently in global markets. This is a creative industry worth investing in.”

Other interesting facets of the research include India, New Zealand, China and the UK being the most inclined to engage with Aussie content, and that production businesses saw co-productions and partnerships that provide scale and financing as the biggest opportunity for the industry.

Screen Currency is being billed locally as “an ambitious landmark” research project based on more than 40 stakeholder consultations and expertize from 18 partners across five research teams. Industry and audiences, focus groups, forums, interviews and analysis have been surveyed locally and internationally and new research has been produced. Screen Australia said more than 13,750 people participated, with 13,550 involved in six surveys. Five reports have been created as a result.