On 23 February the University of York’s Ukrainian society will mark the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In partnership with City Screen Picturehouse and Ukrainian Hub Preston, the society is hosting a free screening of the Oscar-nominated Ukrainian documentary "20 Days In Mariupol”.
The documentary film will be screened at the City Screen Picturehouse and will be accompanied by a photography exhibition. The doors for the photography exhibition will open at 6:30 PM, with the film screening starting at 7:45 PM.
The film, nominated for the 2024 Oscars, depicts the resilience of a group of Ukrainian journalists as they continue documenting the atrocities of the war while trapped within the besieged city of Mariupol.
The photography exhibition – "The Wonder Wounded Land" – will feature the works of Ukrainian photographers who captured the contrast between the peaceful life Ukrainians once knew and the destruction caused by Russia’s actions.
York’s Ukrainian society has 100 free tickets which can be accessed here.
The event will be held the day before the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is on 24 February.
The President of the University of York’s Ukrainian Society, Ira Lebega, shared her thoughts on the upcoming anniversary and documentary screening.
Ira told Nouse, “It's really important to talk and to raise awareness about what's happening in Ukraine. That's why we're doing this…we're just hoping to engage as many people as we can.”
Vika Skirak, Social Secretary for the University of York’s Ukrainian Society, shared a similar view. Vika explained, “It’s going to be hard [to watch the documentary], especially seeing all of that [destruction] again and again. When you're abroad, you're in a bit of a bubble, so it's good that we can put ourselves and other people through the film – they can actually see what's going on right now.”
Mariya Kuzmenko, also Social Secretary for the Ukrainian Society, added, “It is quite a hard documentary to watch, but it's something that's eye opening. It's giving you a bit of a sobering up from the pink sunglasses because it is quite harsh.”
