Michael Killen

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine's social and political institutions faced massive change, including an increasingly corrupt government and crippled infrastructure. A number of the nation's youth wound up homeless and addicted to a lethal cocktail of injected cold medicine and alcohol. In the early 2000s a pastor from Mariupol named Gennadiy Mokhnenko took up the fight against child homelessness by forcibly abducting street kids and bringing them to his Pilgrim Republic rehabilitation center—the largest organization of its kind in the former Soviet Union. Gennadiy's ongoing efforts and unabashedly tough love approach to his city's problems has made him a folk hero for some, and a lawless vigilante to others. Despite criticism, Gennadiy is determined to continue his work.

Inspiring an ABC comedy of the same name, "Downward Dog" follows the day-to-day life of Nan as told by her increasingly lonely and philosophical dog, Martin.

Aaron Kleiber delivers jabs of romanticized parental myths with uppercuts of straight-up dad knowledge. From sun visors and dad nuggs to his no-holds barred take on annoying children's television and Santa, Aaron's truths resonate with parents and non-parents alike. He might not know all the answers, but what he does understand is delivered through his special brand of comedic storytelling.

On a farm, if an animal didn't serve their purpose they did not survive. Five-year-old Beth, the youngest in a large family, struggles with the parallels to her own position.