“Bereza Kartuzka” Toronto Film Premiere

By John Pidkowich

The Ukrainian Women’s Organization and the Ukrainian National Federation had the pleasure of presenting the Toronto Premiere of the film documentary “Bereza Kartuzka”, the prison in which thousands of Ukrainian political dissidents, professionals and university students were incarcerated between 1934 and 1939 when Western Ukraine was under Polish occupation. The film screening and dinner fundraising event took place on October 25 at the UNF Community Centre on Evans Ave.

The director and producer of “Bereza Kartuzka” is Montreal filmmaker Yurij Luhovy, a member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, who produced films “Freedom Had a Price” about the internment of Ukrainian Canadians during WWI and co-produced “Harvest of Despair” about the Holodomor Famine Genocide in Ukraine in 1932-33.  Both these films were acclaimed and awarded 12 international awards.

Orysia Sopinka Chwaluk introduced Zorianna Hrycenko Luhovy who co-produced the film and travelled to Toronto for its premiere. She is also married to Yurij Luhovy, who could not attend, conducting research in Ukraine for a new film.  Luhovy shared their experiences of searching archival material in Ukraine and North America, particularly written reports in Ukrainian newspapers such as Svoboda and Novij Shliakh (The New Pathway) about Polish atrocities against Ukrainians during what is known as the “pacification” of Western Ukraine in the 1930’s. Two books were published one by Novij Shliakh and then later, another by Homin Ukrainy (Ukrainian Echo) and found in many personal home libraries at the time. These original writers tried to give an account of the events and inform the community in North America about Ukrainian suffering under Polish rule. The film “Bereza Kartuzka” attempts to complete what these writers set out to accomplish. The film documents the testimony of eye witness accounts describing WWI-WWII inter-war twentieth century Ukrainian–Polish relations.

“Bereza Kartuzka” leaves a permanent record of one little known aspect of what Ukraine endured in the world political arena in the early XX century, after WWI, the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 and the redrawing of nations’ borders in Europe. Ukrainian lands were divided and given to several nations. Poland received Galician Western Ukraine and the western part of Belarus, where in fact the Bereza Kartuzka prison was located on the site of a Roman Catholic monastery. The film provides an historical development of the social and political condition which led to establishing the prison.

Frustrated with the discrimination and injustices endured by Ukrainians under Polish occupation, two student activists attacked and robbed the Post Office in Lviv on November 30, 1932. Vasyl Bilas and Dmytro Danylyshyn were subsequently tried, hanged on December 23, 1932 and commonly regarded as martyrs for the Ukrainian cause. In should be noted that they are patrons of the Ukrainian National Youth Federation (MUNO). Their revolt and death started a societal uprising and in June 1934, Polish Internal Affairs Minister Bronislaw Piracki was assassinated by another activist by the name of Matseyko.  Within days, Polish President General Josef Pilsucki established the Bereza Kartuzka prison whose inmates were from the intelligentsia - professionals, academics and university students and those from the ranks of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). The purpose of the prison was to show what the Polish authorities could do to Ukrainians who have not been pacified and break their nationalist activities.

Contrary to the closing of Ukrainian schools and breaking the nationalist movement, commentary in the film from an historian and inmate witness brought out how Polish restrictions on Ukrainian identity actually made people more aware of their language, religion and culture, the greater need to practise and express it in heart and soul. In fact, bringing together elite like minds of political dissent did not psychologically break them down but actually strengthened the resolve of the inmates for further action when the opportunity came and eventual release from prison.

As noted above, the prison is situated with in Belarusian territory and although most of the inmates were Ukrainian, a large minority was Belarusian and other groups joined them such as Germans upon Hitler’s invasion of Poland on September 01, 1939, including women and children. The Polish officers abandoned the prison on September 18, 1939 when Soviet forces ran over the interwar Polish border and entered territory that would eventually become part of the Soviet Union.

Zorianna Hrycenko Luhovy thanked everyone who attended the film’s Toronto premiere, especially Hanya Cirka and Natalie Obal, for organizing the fundraising event for the film’s English version. Many organizations, institution and individuals have been thanked for their support to make the film and special recognition was made to Andrij Wodoslawsky who as Cultural Committee Chair of the Ukrainian Students’ Club at the University of Toronto, had given a cheque from Club event proceeds.

To enquire about screening the film or to support the preparation of its English version with a donation, please call 514-481-5871, email mmlinc@hotmail.com or write La Maison de Montagne Luhovy-Bereza Kartuzka, 2330 avenue Beaconsfield, Montreal, Quebec H4A 2G8 .