New Canadian Documentary On Famine Genocide

Montreal – To mark the 75^th Anniversary of the Holodomor Famine Genocide in Soviet Ukraine in 1932-33, a new Canadian documentary film is being made by award-winning Montreal filmmaker Yurij Luhovy, member of the Canadian Film and Television Academy. Tentatively titled “Genocide Revealed”, the documentary is based on newly-released archival material revealing the genocidal intent of Stalin’s man-made famine; interviews with various historians and specialists in the Famine research; and survivors in Ukraine. The documentary will capture the broad scope of Stalin’s policies aimed at destroying Ukrainians as a nation.

This feature-documentary, scheduled to be released this November, is endorsed by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (National), the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Federation, the Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre and the Prosvita Cultural Association in Lachine, Quebec.

Pre-production for the film began in February of this year. Coordinated from Montreal, advance locations for shooting were set up at various famine-affected areas in Eastern Ukraine. With the assistance of a Ukrainian crew, the Canadian production team shot the film this May and June interviewing many survivors, including survivors near the Ukraine-Russia border. Without prior notice, the crew was welcomed in the Donetsk region with traditional bread and salt. Villagers thanked the Canadians for documenting this atrocity in the name of the millions who were starved to death. The film crew included camerapersons Istan Rozumny and Adriana Luhova, driver Volodymyr Bandura, pre-production coordinator Nina Lapchynska and producer-director Yurij Luhovy.

Working ten to fourteen hour days, including weekends, over 3,500 kilometres were travelled, covering a wide range of affected areas. The result is over forty hours of exceptional material, which is now in the post-production assembly stage.

Start-up grants that enabled the shooting of “Genocide Revealed” to proceed were made by Caisse Populaire Ukrainienne Desjardins and the Ukrainian National Federation Branch in Montreal, the Markian Shashkevych Institute in Winnipeg, the Ukrainian Foundation of British Columbia, and the Ukrainian Youth Association (SUM) of Montreal. Recent support has been received from the Prosvita Cultural Association in Lachine, Quebec, the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women, Oshawa Branch, Dr. Walter Lebedin of Winnipeg, and the Ukrainian Canadian Taras Shevchenko Foundation.

Well-acquainted with the material dealing with the Holodomor, Yurij Luhovy stated: “A new  documentary on the famine-genocide has been long overdue. This film will serve as a much-needed educational resource for courses in genocide studies, for the teaching of the famine-genocide in Canadian and American schools and universities, as well as to further public awareness world-wide”.

For his accomplishments, Mr. Luhovy received, in May of this year, the Presidential Order of Ukraine Category III.

The “Genocide Revealed” film is being made possible by organizational and individual support and will contribute to furthering knowledge about 20^th Century Ukrainian history.

To help support the completion of this project, financial assistance is required. Donations by cheque may be made out to: La Maison de Montage Luhovy Inc., Re: “Genocide Revealed” film (at bottom) and mailed to: La Maison de Montage Luhovy Inc., 2330 Beaconsfield Ave., Montreal, Quebec H4A 2G8.

For further information, please phone: (514) 481-5871, or e-mail: mmlinc@hotmail.com

On the front page banner is filmmaker Yurij Luhovy.