THE ROOTS WE CARRY explores the enduring trauma of war, the challenges of forced migration, and the healing power of intergenerational connection. At its heart, the film is about resilience, how children process unimaginable loss through creativity, and how survivors of past atrocities offer comfort and wisdom.

But three years after fleeing Ukraine, these families face a new crisis. For many, returning home is no longer possible, while an October 19 immigration deadline threatens their ability to remain in the United States. Even if a general extension is granted, their right to work may not be extended, leaving families with impossible choices: work without authorization, go underground, or self-deport.

At a critical moment of rising anti-immigrant sentiment, global conflict and deepening antisemitism, their stories have an urgency we could not have imagined when filming began. KleinLife, once an exclusively Jewish institution, now serves people of many faiths and backgrounds, embodying Tikkun Olam, repairing the world through compassion and action. It is a story about what we owe one another when war, borders and politics leave families with nowhere certain to call home.