The “Girl in Red” has now become the “Girl in Blue and Yellow.” Olivia Dabrowska, the three-year-old whose red-coated appearance in Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993) became one of the most iconic images in the history of cinema, has grown up to be one of a growing number of film figures actively assisting in Ukrainian relief efforts. (On February 24, CinemaDailyUS reported on Sean Penn’s activities while working on a documentary there.)

Now a 32-year-old copywriter, Dabrowska shared a posting of that iconic image on March 9 in which the child’s red coat had been retouched to appear as blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. “She was always the symbol of hope, let her be it again.” 

Dabrowska immediately went to the war-torn region to volunteer in the refugee effort, sending out a plea on social media, “We need your help here at the Polish-Ukrainian border. Every little bit helps, we need material and financial donations, you can also volunteer to help out in person. The situation is dramatic, I’m also a volunteer here, at the border, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes.” 

Like Edward R. Murrow reporting from the London Blitz during World War II, her postings reflect first-hand the anguish and despair felt in the conflict. “Today Russia bombed Yavoriv,” she continued. “Only 20 kilometers from Poland. So close! I’m scared, but that only motivates me more to help refugees.” “Those kids…my God, I can barely hold back my tears,” she wrote. “Nobody, who have never seen this, can’t imagine this nightmare in eyes of those people.”

The original red-coated image in Schindler’s List was the only splash of color in Spielberg’s film on the Holocaust, making a powerful graphic statement about the horrors of the Shoah and hope for redemption.

Check out more of Edward’s Articles.