Bereza Kartuzka Premiered in Kyiv

Kyiv – The documentary film Bereza Kartuzka was invited to be premiered in Kyiv, organized by Larysa Briukhovetska of the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy (UKMA). It was sponsored by the Union of Film Directors of Ukraine and held at Kino Kliub. Also invited were members of the Union of Writers of Ukraine, Memorial Society in Kyiv and other guests.

Larysa Briukhovetska, editor-in-chief of the bi-monthly journal “Kino-Teatre”, opened the evening and presented filmmaker Yurij Luhovy of Montreal, the film’s producer, director and editor. He explained how the Canadian-made documentary was based on the testimonies of some of the last survivors of Bereza Kartuzka that were imprisoned at various stages from 1934 to 1939, on historic documents and his travels to the site of the former prison.

Attended by over 100 guests, many were visibly moved at the end of the showing. Following the screening, many expressed how they knew nothing or very little about the historic experience of Western Ukraine in the 1930’s and how grateful they were that this film was made. They were impressed with the archival film footage and how the film portrayed developments in the context of European events at the time. They were also surprised that a Ukrainian language version of the documentary was made in Canada by a Canadian filmmaker and compared this to the poor state of Ukrainian-language films presently in Ukraine. Answering many questions, filmmaker Yurij Luhovy added that if there is a will and a belief that such documentaries should be made to recapture Ukraine’s painful history before it disappears, for future generations, there is nothing to stop filmmakers in Ukraine today to make similar films on a range of neglected topics. One viewer stated, Bereza Kartuzka is not a documentary, it is a work of art” referring to the overall impression of the film and the interplay of narration, music and moving eye witness accounts. Narrator Bohdan Beniuk and music composer Roman Luhovy both of Kyiv, were both out of town and unable to be present.

The documentary film Bereza Kartuzka will be included in a special film series project titled “XXth Century Ukraine in Documentary Films” organized by The Centre of Cinematographic Studies at UKMA, to be shown throughout 2008. The purpose of the series, as stated by Larysa Briukhovestska is “to portray a panorama of events dealing with Ukraine’s tragic and dramatic history, and further discuss various aspects, information which was once forbidden in the former totalitarian regime”.

Bereza Kartuzka is soon to be shown in Kharkiv in early June. For further information please contact Yurij Luhovy at mmlinc@hotmail.com.