Bereza
Kartuzka Film – in
The
Produced, directed and edited by award-winning
filmmaker, Yurij Luhovy, the film is the first to be made about the infamous Polish concentration
camp, Bereza Kartuzka, where thousands of arrested Ukrainian patriots were
imprisoned between 1934 and 1939. Based on extensive research and created in a
visually captivating manner, the documentary is dynamic in how it unfolds the
political situation between the First and Second World Wars.
By means of Yurij Luhovy’s nearly-confiscated
rare footage filmed at the actual Bereza Kartuzka site and compelling
eye-witness accounts, the viewer is able to relive the time portrayed. Together
with vintage stock shots, archival photos and insightful commentaries by
pre-eminent academics, the filmmaker presents a highly moving human story on a
little-known part of
The film was narrated by prominent Kyiv actor,
Bohdan Beniuk, whose restrained tone allowed eye-witness testimonial accounts
to carry the story. Roman Luhovy, also
of Kyiv, composed the original score which complemented and strengthened the
scenes as they unfurled.
The premiere was sponsored by the Shevchenko
Scientific Society of Canada, the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business
Association, the League of Ukrainian Canadians, and the Ukrainian National
Federation, under the patronage of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in
The evening’s Master of Ceremonies, Orest
Hummeny, introduced the film and Yurij Luhovy, emphasizing the importance of documenting
the living historical memory provided by Montrealers and others imprisoned at
Bereza Kartuzka. He commended the
director for his determination to complete the film despite many obstacles.
Luhovy thanked the many individuals and
organizations that contributed financially to make the film, and also the
dedicated individuals who helped with the film’s production. He expressed his
indebtedness to the stories he heard as a youth from family friends and his
father who lived through Bereza Kartuzka and provided the impetus for the film.
Members of the audience who had relatives taken to Bereza Kartuzka were
acknowledged. In many cases, very little
of their traumatic prison experiences were communicated to family members, who
only now were learning about them from the film.
One of the last survivors of Bereza Kartuzka, A.
Hladylovych was acknowledged with a standing ovation. He expressed his gratitude for the film and
its documentation of the injustices and harrowing experiences that befell him
and his fellow Ukrainians during that time.
Many viewers were visibly moved to tears by the documentary. During the reception that followed, people
lingered to discuss the film’s impact on them.
Others retreated to solitude in order to fully grasp what their family
members were forced to endure in Bereza Kartuzka.
A book exhibit displayed some of the many
materials used to research the topic of Bereza Kartuzka.
Upcoming premieres of the documentary are planned
for