American documentarian and volunteer Frank Cano: “My goal is to show what life in Ukraine is really like during the war”
An American volunteer and documentary filmmaker talks about Ukraine, volunteering, and traveling during wartime.
Frank Cano is an American artist, volunteer, and independent documentary filmmaker. At the start of 2026, he was planning a trip to Europe while also looking for a way to get involved in volunteering in Ukraine. This summer, Frank arrived, began helping a humanitarian organization, and started filming a documentary project about the lives of Ukrainians during the war.
The VisitKyiv team spoke with Frank about how volunteering changed his original plans, what surprised him most, and how he feels about traveling to Ukraine during wartime.
How the idea to go to Ukraine came about
Honestly, I’d been interested in Ukraine for a long time.
Last year I turned 27, and I went through something like an existential crisis. I started thinking about what I actually wanted to do with my life. I wanted to do something more meaningful and important.
At the beginning of 2026, I started training to become an EMT so I could work on an ambulance crew. It was a really great experience. I finished the training in May, but I haven’t worked in the field yet.
Around the same time, I planned a trip to Europe to visit my sister in Madrid and spend some time with her. Back in January I bought a ticket and decided to stay abroad longer. After that, I started looking for ways to volunteer in Ukraine.
I searched online but couldn’t find an organization or program that was the right fit for me. A few organizations offered volunteering in Ukraine, but they charged hundreds of dollars just to take part. So I decided to shelve the idea, figuring it just wasn’t meant to be.
Then in June I arrived at my sister’s place in Madrid and met the brother of her best friend. It turned out he’d already been volunteering in Ukraine for six months.
To me, it felt like some kind of cosmic coincidence. When I first got to Europe, I never imagined I’d actually end up in Ukraine. But then I met this guy, who seemed really cool. He connected me with the organization that eventually brought me to Ukraine, not far from Dnipro.
From volunteering to documentary filmmaking
In July of this year, I started volunteering with Aequitas, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian and medical aid to Ukraine and evacuates civilians from dangerous areas.
Besides volunteering, I do photography and videography. Originally, I planned to make a vlog about traveling through Europe and volunteering on farms. But after arriving in Ukraine, I changed my plan and decided to try my hand at documentary filmmaking instead.
I want to show what usually stays outside the news — not just missile strikes and military events, but the lives of ordinary people who keep living through the war. So I’ve been interviewing people from different walks of life — actors, bankers, soldiers — hoping to bring their stories together into one documentary project.
My goal is to show what life in Ukraine is really like during the war.
The Ukraine you don’t see in the news
I think a lot of people abroad picture Ukraine as one continuous war zone — as if buildings are destroyed everywhere, people are living in bunkers, and the whole country has become a wasteland.
But when I got to Ukraine, I saw a country where life doesn’t stop. Even after nights of shelling, people go to work, meet up with family and friends, go for walks, and relax. I watched people carry on with their everyday lives despite the shelling, air raid sirens, and the war. That’s probably what surprised me the most.
Of course, I can’t fully understand what Ukrainians are going through. But I fell in love with Ukraine very quickly. It’s incredibly beautiful, and the people here are warm and open toward foreigners.
I think Ukrainians are very brave and resilient. Despite the war, they keep believing in their country and in freedom. As an American, I understand and respect that drive very well — the desire to be free, to be able to live your own life, preserve your culture, and decide your country’s future for yourselves.
Tourism during wartime: how can you help Ukraine?
A lot depends, of course, on why someone is coming to Ukraine in the first place. But if you’ve already decided to travel, why not choose a country where your trip can actually do some good for the local people?
The war has hit Ukrainian businesses hard: prices have gone up, and Ukraine is essentially living under a wartime economy. So when you spend money at Ukrainian hotels, hostels, cafes, and souvenir shops, you’re supporting them through a difficult time.
In my view, it’s a pretty simple way to help Ukraine — instead of spending money in other Western European countries, which already welcome millions of tourists and don’t really need the extra help.
If Kyiv were a person…
I think Kyiv would be an old man with a long beard, someone who’s been through a lot and traveled to many places. You’d sense a certain toughness in him from everything he’s had to go through.
But at the same time, he’d be a cheerful, lively man with countless stories he’d be happy to share. Maybe he’d even play some kind of musical instrument.
Either way, he’d definitely be someone you’d want to meet.
