12 AUGUST 2026
The Last Message: New York Screening Turns Personal Tragedy Into a Call for Justice
August 12 at 7:00 PM | Chain Theatre, New York City | Chain NYC Film Festival
What begins as one woman’s search for answers becomes a powerful story about war, accountability, and the pursuit of justice.
On August 12, the documentary The Last Message will be screened in New York as part of the Chain NYC Film Festival. The film follows Ukrainian-American Kelsie Kimberlin, who travels to Ukraine to understand the circumstances surrounding the death of someone close to her.
What begins as a deeply personal investigation gradually becomes a journey through a country at war. Along the way, Kimberlin meets Ukrainian soldiers, journalists, witnesses, and survivors of Russian crimes — confronting the devastating human consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
At the heart of the film is one question:
Who will be held accountable for what has been done — and how?
The film’s answer is direct:
RUSSIA MUST PAY.
But this is more than a slogan. The Last Message explores the demand for genuine accountability for Russia’s crimes and the right of those affected by Russian aggression to seek justice and compensation. In the film’s final chapter, that moral demand becomes concrete action as Kimberlin takes legal action against the Russian Federation.
A story filmed in Ukraine
The Last Message was created by an international team of filmmakers working in Ukraine and the United States. Much of the documentary was filmed on location in Ukraine — in places where the consequences of Russian aggression are not distant images on a screen, but an everyday reality.
For New York’s Ukrainian community, the screening is an opportunity not only to see the film, but to continue an important conversation: What happens after we bear witness?
How does memory become a demand for justice? And how can that demand become action?
Q&A with the filmmakers
Following the screening, audiences will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with Kelsie Kimberlin, the central participant in the documentary, and Andrii Voloshyn, the film’s director and editor.
The discussion will explore the events depicted in the film, the experience of filming in Ukraine and the United States, Kimberlin’s personal journey, and the documentary’s central theme: accountability for Russia’s crimes.
Screening Details
When: Wednesday, August 12, 7:00 PM
Where: Chain Theatre, New York City
Festival: Chain NYC Film Festival
Program: 4th Floor, Messages block
Tickets: $13 in advance | $15 at the door
Trailer: Watch the trailer
Official film website: The Last Message
Tickets: Get tickets through Chain NYC Film Festival
The team behind The Last Message invites members of New York’s Ukrainian community, their friends, and everyone who believes in justice and accountability to attend.
Come watch. Stay for the Q&A. Bear witness. Continue the conversation.
Russia must pay.
Tags: Chain NYC Film Festival EMPR media Kelsie Kimberlin New York Premiere Russia accountability the last message Ukraine war documentary
