Congratulations to Robinson alumna Adriana Timco (English, 2008) who has won an International Emmy Award for Hell Jumper, a ground-breaking documentary about the war in Ukraine.

Hell Jumper, is a “new look at the story of the war in Ukraine, captured through the eyes – and the extraordinary first-person footage – of a group of volunteers saving strangers’ lives in one of the most dangerous places on earth.”

The documentary, produced by Adriana (pictured above with Colin Barr, Executive Producer), is now available to view on BBC iPlayer.  Hell Jumper has been heralded as ‘an unforgettable and immersive story of courage, passion and loss among idealistic young people risking their lives in the middle of a war zone, without military support.” It has already won a host of other awards, including a Royal Television Society Award, a Prix Italia Award and the Prix Italia Signis Special Prize, awarded by the Italian Catholic Church, and Best Social Issues / Current Affairs Program Award at the Banff Rockie Awards.

Hell Jumper tells the story of 28-year-old Chris Parry who decided to jump into a van and head into Ukraine at the start of the war. There, he befriended civilian 'evacuators' from all over the world, who would upload footage of rescue missions to social media, as a way of raising money to fund their operations. But Chris also fell instantly in love with a young Ukrainian, Olya. Their burgeoning love story runs in parallel to the story of the evacuations Chris embarks on, helping the old and the vulnerable escape from the most dangerous areas in the country.

For Adriana, the documentary took three years to bring from inception to completion. She first took the idea to Expectation production company, and executive producer Colin Barr, then on to the BBC. 

Adriana explains: “I had the privilege to personally know Chris before the tragedy of his death. He was a young man full of life, optimism and enthusiasm. His motto was ‘where there is a will there is a way’, and he thought every life was valuable. He was looking for his purpose in life, and he said he had found it helping the vulnerable in Ukraine. He wasn’t naïve either – just hopeful and fearless. He would film his missions in case something did happen to him, but he wanted to show others the horrors he had seen.

“Before his death, he made me promise that if something were to happen, that I would help to turn his footage into a film – for his family. He also wanted everyone to know that in Ukraine, he had also found happiness, friendship and love.”

Hell Jumper is available to view on BBC iPlayer.

Writer/Producer Adriana is currently working for Passion Pictures production company, developing biopics in the music space. She is also exploring opportunities to get her first novel published whilst pursuing a range of other writer/producer projects.