<div><strong>We did it. TO DANCE IS TO RESIST is finished, and it premiered to the world at BFI Flare London.</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Two years ago, more than 170 of you backed a rough cut and a promise. Because of you, that promise became a finished 90-minute feature documentary.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Since its World Premiere at BFI Flare 2026, the film has celebrated its German premiere at DOK.fest München and travelled to Doxumentale Berlin, the Macao International Queer Film Festival, and the Bangkok LGBTIQ+ Film Festival. Next up: TAURON New Horizons in Wrocław, with more dates being confirmed.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><iframe media_type="0" media_id="cwDp3sESNn8" class="youtube-replace" title="YouTube video player" style="margin-bottom:20px;width:560px;height:315px;" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cwDp3sESNn8/?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1"></iframe>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>The press has responded:</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Flicker Magazine:</strong>
</div>
<div>"Anyone could attempt to make a documentary. Not everyone could make one as impactful as To Dance is to Resist."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Obscurae:</strong>
</div>
<div>"Adeptly and elegantly blends all the glamour and beauty of dance with the striking sounds and imagery of an active war."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Take One Magazine:</strong>
</div>
<div>"The quality and texture of a long, paced, visual poem."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>None of this would exist without the people who gave early. Thank you.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>A finished film is not a finished mission</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We owe you honesty about how we got here.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>So far our crowdfunding did not cover the post-production, but the film could not wait. Editing, colour grading, sound mix, music licensing, festival submissions, travel: all of it had to happen for the film to reach its premiere on time, so that the urgency of its story could be shared on screen with an international audience while it matters most. So the production carried the costs. Fees were deferred, savings went in, and part of the budget had to be borrowed. Those costs are now being repaid month by month, while the film travels the world.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>That was a deliberate choice, and we would make it again. But it means the film is still being paid off while it's out there doing its work.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>So this is the ask, in plain words: help us reimburse what it cost to finish and launch the film, repay what was borrowed, and keep it moving through its festival run.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>How the €36,000 will be used</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The €36,000 goal is the minimum to put the project on solid ground.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The first €20,000 clears the borrowed money that financed the post-production. This is the part with a monthly clock on it, and every donation shortens it. The remaining €16,000 reimburses further costs the production carried itself and keeps the film travelling through the rest of its 2026 festival run: screening materials, maintenance, travel, and the push toward cinema and streaming distribution.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>These funds reimburse documented expenses paid by PM Film Production and help repay financing taken on specifically to complete and release the film.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For context: €1,000 per finished minute is considered a very low budget for a feature documentary. At 90 minutes, that would be €90,000. This film was completed well below that, largely financed by the production itself.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>The film</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Queer couple Jay and Vol'demar find strength and community in Kyiv's underground rave scene, where dance becomes both survival and resistance in the face of war.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Shot with intimate access amid Russia's full-scale invasion, the film follows them as air-raid sirens interrupt the night and dance studios, clubs, and stages become places of refuge. Sirens fold into synths, laughter interrupts the quiet, and the city emerges as a living character: wounded, but resilient. In a country where same-sex partnerships still have no legal recognition, Jay and Vol'demar's story is a testament to creativity, care, and survival as a form of defiance.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Here, to dance is to resist.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Runtime: 90 minutes.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Where the film goes next</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The festival run continues through 2026 and 2027, and from there the goal is wider distribution: cinemas, streaming, and eventually digital rental and purchase.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We are also looking for executive producers and partners ready to come on board with a larger investment. If that's you, or someone you know, please get in touch with us.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>The team you're backing</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>TO DANCE IS TO RESIST is the feature documentary debut of director and producer Julian Lautenbacher, who has carried the project since 2021, returning to Kyiv throughout the full-scale war. The film was made with a Ukrainian and international crew and produced by PM Film Production between Kyiv and Berlin. Producer Sasha Ongley joined in early 2025.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Meet the full team on our homepage: <a href="https://www.todanceistoresist.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.todanceistoresist.com</a>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>How you can help</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Donate if you can. Every euro goes toward costs already carried for the film, and until the first €20,000 is reached, every euro shortens the debt. If you can't, share this link: a share to the right person is worth as much as a donation. And come see the film when it plays near you.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for being part of this from the beginning.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Let's keep it moving.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><a href="https://pm-filmproduction.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://pm-filmproduction.com/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://pm-filmproduction.com/</a></a>
</div>

Viktoriia Semenska

Timo Bieber

Emilia Matteucci

Anonymous

Justus Lichtendahl

Gerd Buta

Eloise Merian

Valeriu Adimei

liza hoeltz

Rieke Nanninga

Angela Dimery

Ramon Papadopoulos

Michael Allen

TO DANCE IS TO RESIST: back our acclaimed documentary

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

TO DANCE IS TO RESIST: back our acclaimed documentary

Still €29,982 to go. Help us build momentum.