November is traditionally a time to remember the Holodomor, the man-made genocide of the Ukrainian people launched by the Soviet regime in 1932. Over 4 million Ukrainians perished as a result of this atrocity. Every year, we organize remembrance rallies and events to raise awareness of these horrendous crimes committed by the Russian regime against the Ukrainian people.
This year, to help you create the most engaging and impactful events, we’ve compiled a list of materials you can use.
Movies, Books, and Multimedia Projects – all are ready for you to incorporate into your events.
MOVIES
Short Film: Black Raven
This short film portrays witnesses of Joseph Stalin’s Holodomor Genocide of Ukrainians in 1932-33, ensuring that this tragic story continues to be told. Black Raven has been recognized at various international festivals and is available for screening at your events.
To obtain materials for screening, please contact [email protected].
Film: Holodomor Minnesota: Memories of Genocide in Ukraine
Directed by UNWLA member Zina Gutmanis, this 30-minute film explores how memories of the Holodomor are passed down through families, communities, and generations. It also draws parallels between the 1930s genocide and Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine. The film originated from an oral history project by Gutmanis in 2019, featuring interviews with Holodomor survivors, as well as their children and grandchildren. These oral histories are now part of the University of Minnesota’s digital archives, accessible to scholars and students worldwide.
To screen this film in your community, please contact Zina at [email protected].
Watch the trailer
MULTIMEDIA PROJECT
Two Regimes is the life’s work of two Ukrainian women: Teodora Verbitskaya, who wrote about her life from 1920 to 1945, and her daughter Nadia Werbitzky, a professionally trained artist who painted from memory.
This project tells the powerful story of survival under Stalin and Hitler during the Holodomor, the Holocaust, and WWII. Teodora’s family witnessed atrocities under both dictators, including the starvation of entire populations and the massacre of 7,500 Jews in Mariupol in 1941. Later, Teodora and her daughters were forced into labor camps in Germany, liberated by U.S. troops in 1945, and eventually emigrated to Canada. Two Regimes honors the lives of Ukrainians, Jews, Greeks, and others whose voices were silenced, ensuring their stories are not forgotten.
The project includes a book, film, and a collection of thematic artworks, all of which are available for use at your events.
For more details: https://tworegimes.com
For materials, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].
BOOKS
We recommend encouraging your local library to showcase books about the Holodomor.
If you’re unsure where to start, please consult our library toolkit.
If your library does not have books on the Holodomor, we have included a list you can share with them.
For more information, contact [email protected]
Last year, UNWLA supported the publication of Dr. Victoria Malko’s book “Holodomor. The genocide of Ukrainians”. Later Dr. Malko introduced an electronic educational course based on the book. The course can be offered at schools and colleges across the country. A link to the course in Canvas Commons: https://bit.ly/3tJPq8h
