Untold “Three Stories of Galicia” in the Open

On February 10, the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Club of Ottawa organized a preview screening of “Three Stories of Galicia,” an ambitious new documentary film.

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union. The dreams of millions of people came true as their struggle under the oppressive and mighty USSR brought them freedom and the opportunity to live in their respective democratic societies. With the lifting of the weight of the Iron Curtain, previously untold stories were recorded in “Three Stories of Galicia”. The film heard and follows three inspirational characters who fought to maintain their humanity during the World War II period and its Soviet aftermath: a Ukrainian woman who sacrificed her children to save her country, a Jewish family who chose to save its worst enemy and a Polish priest who risked losing his parish to serve a greater good.

Filmmakers Olha Onyshko, a native of Lviv, Ukraine, and Sarah Farhat, a native of Beirut, Lebanon, travelled throughout Galicia-Halychyna in Western Ukraine over a period of four years. In this region shrouded by many speculations and controversy due to its untold history, they discovered an amazing wealth of stories that had been hidden from not only the West, but also from people’s own family. Recording the survivors’ memories became a race against time as many of them were already in their late 80s or older.

From hundreds of hours of interviews and film footage, three stories were eventually selected to portray the three most sensitive events that took place during and after the Second World War in Halychyna: the Holocaust in the East, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and its resistance against Soviet occupation; and the Polish-Ukrainian conflict. These events are portrayed for the very first time side-by-side, from the different perspectives of the region’s three stakeholder communities: Jews, Poles and Ukrainians. The film does not claim that the stories told are the absolute truth, but portray three survivors with different views of wartime events, whose views and memories are worthy to be preserved and talked about. However, the three stories are united by one theme: reaching out to the other side with a helping hand even in times of war, oppression and ethnic conflict.

“Three Stories of Galicia” has been shown with great success at the Cannes Film Market, Hamburg Film Festival, and theatres in Lviv, Kyiv and Ottawa. Another achievement was the film’s translation into Ukrainian and its narration by actress Ada Rogovceva. New screenings in Canada, the US, Poland and Ukraine at festivals and select theatres are planned in collaboration with special interest groups, organizations and individuals, followed by discussion. Filmmakers Onyshko and Farhat hope that the film can foster a much-needed dialogue amongst communities subjected to the impact of the war-time period and still bear its consequences to this day.

Of special note and interest, the website for “Three Stories of Galicia” incorporates film footage of the three storytellers that did not make the film’s final cut version. These film clips will be available as additional material with the film’s release on DVD. The website will also be utilized during the film’s public outreach campaign. Now, a Facebook page follows the film’s progress.

For more information, visit www.threestoriesofgalicia.com and

www.facebook/threestoriesofgalicia

To enquire about bringing “Three Stories of Galicia” to your school or your community, please email: screening@sense-film.com

By Regan Carver

and John Pidkowich