Themes by tag: culture
From April 10, the film “MUR. You [Romance] in Cinema” will be shown in cinemas. This is Ukraine’s first theatrical musical filmed in a special format for the big screen. It tells the story of the life of Ukrainian writers and theater figures of the 20’s and 30’s – the era of the Executed Renaissance – most of whom were destroyed during the Stalinist repressions. The creators emphasize: we must know this tragic history to prevent it from repeating.
The historical musical first appeared as a musical album of the same name, which became a hit in 2024, gathering over 1 million views on YouTube. This was followed by a theatrical production seen by over 60,000 people in 15 cities. So the authors, the creative association MUR, approached the FILM.UA studio with the idea of filming it to preserve it for future generations.
About 5,000 tickets were sold before the film’s release, and the pre-premiere tour covered 10 cities, including the frontline cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhia. Kyiv’s Zhovten Cinema will screen the film with English subtitles for foreigners who wish to learn more about our country.
On April 13 in Kyiv, after the film screening, journalists will have the opportunity to engage with director Oleksandr Khomenko, actors Oleksandr Zaika, Mykola Shmundyr, Mariia Lukianenko-O’Reilly, Lesia Patoka, and choreographer Inna Matiushina.
Background: Born during Russia’s full-scale war, the MUR project united artists from Kyiv and Donetsk, including Oleksandr Khomenko (director, actor, screenwriter, lyricist), Viktor Tkachenko (composer, actor), Mykola Shmundyr (actor), Mariia O’Reilly (editor), and Oleksandr Zaika (performer and songwriter).
The group has gained a large audience on social media. Their documentary shorts on the history of Shchedryk, Pavlo Tychyna, Ivan Bahrianyi, and Vasyl Stus have become Instagram’s most-watched educational content on Ukrainian literature.
The Tytanovi Charitable Foundation, within the framework of the Tytanovi Rehab project, invites you to the presentation of the “Tytanovi Arts & Culture Center” for rehabilitation of veterans. During the event, veterans and journalists will get a preview of what the center will offer after its official opening.
The Foundation explains that war leaves not only physical wounds, but also deep psychological scars. Creative rehabilitation is one of the most effective ways to address them. The center will offer veterans the opportunity to participate in art therapy, try their hand in a photo lab, take the stage in a theater, and attend educational workshops.
The presentation will feature Viacheslav Zaporozhets, the founder and head of the Tytanovi Charitable Foundation – a veteran who lost a limb and has mastered a bionic prosthesis.
Background: Founded by Viacheslav Zaporozhets, a veteran of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Tytanovi Charitable Foundation specializes in the rehabilitation of servicemen and veterans after severe injuries. According to the organizers, Tytanovi is the only foundation that provides custom-made titanium bone implants for military personnel with high-level and severe amputations.
On April 11, Kyiv will host the premiere screening of the co-produced film “No Sleep Til Kyiv”, a collaboration between the USA, Estonia, and Ukraine, which will be released online later this spring. The Kyiv event will feature the film’s creative team, as well as the convoy drivers of the 69th Sniffing Brigade, who are arriving in Ukraine with another delivery of humanitarian aid.
“No Sleep Til Kyiv” follows the journey of American Peter Duke, who joins a convoy as a driver from Estonia to Kyiv to deliver crucial aid to Ukrainian soldiers. Along the way, Peter discovers a country that embodies unity and resilience. He draws parallels between Ukraine’s current struggle and the founding of the United States in 1776. As he observes those involved in today’s fight, he witnesses extraordinary acts of self-sacrifice and dedication — values that transcend borders and politics. The experience reshapes his understanding of war — and of himself.
Peter Duke travels from Tallinn to Kyiv with the 69th Sniffing Brigade, a unit of the international North Atlantic Fellas Organization (NAFO), which has supported Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
The 69th Sniffing Brigade regularly assists Ukrainian soldiers by collaborating with international donors, organizing fundraisers for vehicles, drones, generators, and addressing many other essential needs of Ukrainian defenders.
The screening will take place with the participation of the film’s creative team: the film’s protagonist, soldier Volodymyr Favorsky; director of photography Christopher Walters; creative producer Dimitri Nasennik; line producer Vsevolod Priakhin; and sound engineer Xenia Vynogradova.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
How can we ensure that the destruction of Ukrainian monuments, museums and artifacts by the russian federation does not go unpunished? How can we collect evidence of crimes against cultural heritage so that it becomes part of the indictments in international tribunals?
These topics were addressed by participants of a four-day training in Kyiv: museum workers, investigators, prosecutors, military personnel, scientists, representatives of the public sector and journalists. Among the trainers were representatives from 7 countries (USA, UK, Sweden, France, Mauritius, Netherlands and Ukraine), including prosecutors who have worked with the International Criminal Court to prosecute those responsible for crimes against cultural heritage in Mali, Bosnia and other countries.
The press conference, which will be held in Kyiv on April 11, will summarize the results of the training, outline the main challenges and the steps necessary to achieve justice.
Participants of the press conference:
- Nataraj Muneesamy, Assistant Attorney General of Mauritius, expert in international criminal law;
- Andrea Cayley, Coordinator of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) in Ukraine, Head of the Cultural Heritage Group;
- Ankie Petersen, Staff Officer for Cultural Property Protection, NL Armed Forces, member of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) in Ukraine;
- Anna Neistat, Legal Director of The Docket initiative (Clooney Foundation for Justice’s initiative to hold perpetrators of international crimes accountable);
- Ihor Poshyvailo, Co-founder of the Agency for Cultural Resilience (ACURE), Director General of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
On April 11, Kyiv will host the opening of BODY/FRAGILITY, a contemporary art exhibition that stands as a statement of resilience following the destruction of part of the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Applied Arts and Design by a russian missile last year.
Media representatives are invited to attend the exhibition’s launch at the Academy’s gallery. The project explores the vulnerability of human existence in times of war and emerges as a symbolic act of endurance in the face of devastation.
The opening ceremony will include a symbolic performance held on the very grounds of the academy’s destroyed building.
The exhibition features works by prominent Ukrainian artists, leading faculty members, talented students of the Academy, and alumni of the Contemporary Art Practices course. All proceeds from the sale of the artworks will be directed toward the restoration of the section of the Academy damaged in the missile strike.
For reference: On March 25, 2024, a russian missile hit the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Applied Arts and Design, destroying part of the institution.
From April 9 to 20, the Kyiv History Museum will host In Memoriam: Reality Through Art, an exposition by French artist Fanny Lechevalier. The project brings together art, documentary storytelling, and charitable outreach.
Using the technique of photomontage, Lechevalier overlays images captured by war correspondents onto reproductions of classic European paintings. The resulting compositions are visually arresting and prompt viewers to reconsider the ongoing tragedy unfolding on Europe’s borders.
The exhibition serves several purposes:
– To create a newsworthy event to draw international attention to the war in Ukraine and mobilize additional support;
– To share the personal stories of those affected by the conflict, offering European audiences a more accurate understanding of life during wartime in Ukraine;
– To highlight the European Union’s support and solidarity with Ukraine;
– To raise funds for the development of an educational and rehabilitation hub.
A special media preview will take place on April 8, where journalists will have the opportunity to speak with the artist.
Accreditation is required to attend.
For reference: The exhibition is organized by Ukraine’s Solidarity Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to rebuilding the country and assisting those impacted by the war.
On April 9, the Kyiv History Museum will host the unveiling of ORIGAMI for UKRAINE, a expansive art exhibition featuring a striking display of 5,000 origami birds adorning the museum’s facade. The work was created by Belgian designer Charles Kaisin, known for his collaborations with global brands such as Hermès, Rolls-Royce, Cartier, and Ice-Watch.
Each bird is crafted from metallized paper that reflects sunlight, symbolizing the resilience of the Ukrainian people and their enduring hope for peace.
The grand opening will take place with the participation of Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and Brussels Mayor Philippe Close. The installation will remain on display in Kyiv for 90 days.
The project was initially launched in Brussels as a charitable initiative aimed at raising funds for the treatment of wounded Ukrainian soldiers at the Kyiv’s Medical Rehabilitation and Palliative Care Center. So far, the initiative has raised approximately 50,000 euros, which will go toward purchasing vital medical equipment and supplies.
The company “Skeiron” was founded in 2016 by a team of like-minded people in Lviv. The main goal of the project is to preserve and promote cultural heritage through digitization. The team digitizes significant Ukrainian monuments, both preserved and lost. They believe that this will help to restore these landmarks in the future.
During their work, the specialists have managed to digitize and recreate over 200 structures, including monuments destroyed during the war. In particular, the company has digitized in 3D format the Mariupol Drama Theater, which was destroyed by russia.
You can communicate with representatives of the “Skeiron” team both online and offline, by prior arrangement.
On April 3, Kyiv will host the Ukrainian premiere of Tommy Gun: On the Road to Kupyansk, a powerful documentary offering an unfiltered glimpse into the war in Ukraine through the lens of a foreign volunteer. The R. T. Weatherman Foundation and the War Museum in Kyiv are behind this exclusive screening.
The film is the work of Mark ‘Gino’ Jannetta, a foreign volunteer who joined the International Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine in 2022, participating in three major military operations. Among them was a daring crossing of the Dnipro River aimed at recapturing the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. Gino also fought near Kupiansk, where he sustained severe injuries. His life was saved by Thomas ‘Tommy Gun’ Harris, a fellow soldier whose bravery inspired Gino to create this documentary. After undergoing rehabilitation, Gino returned to Ukraine to document the war’s harsh realities from the perspective of those fighting for freedom and independence.
Tommy Gun: On the Road to Kupyansk has already garnered international acclaim, earning multiple awards and accolades at prestigious film festivals.
Following the screening, viewers will have the opportunity to engage in a discussion with director Mark ‘Gino’ Jannetta and Thomas Harris’s father, who will join the conversation online.
Journalists are required to obtain accreditation to cover the event.
For reference: The R. T. Weatherman Foundation, recognized globally for its support of Ukraine, is organizing the screening as part of its extensive FOR FREEDOM project. This initiative, featuring a documentary exhibition running until the end of May at the Motherland Monument, seeks to highlight the struggle of foreign volunteers fighting for freedom. The film’s premiere marks a crucial effort to share the truth about the war and underscore the vital role international volunteers continue to play.
On April 12, Kyiv will host a unique event – the “Steel Guard” festival. Combining a medieval combat sports tournament, veteran inclusivity, and family-friendly cultural activities, the festival aims to support veterans and promote the historical and sports movement.
As part of the festival, two medieval combat tournaments will be held:
- The tournament for novice veterans, “Knights of the New Era”, where anyone interested – regardless of experience, physical condition or level of preparation – can enter the arena. Men and women can participate, including those with amputations or in wheelchairs. All participants will receive the necessary equipment and support from instructors. There is a rule of equal opportunity – the fights will take place in a safe format focused on rehabilitation and community building.
- The professional “KyivGrad Cup” tournament in full steel armor will be the spectacular part of the event, where experienced fighters will show their skills.
Additional Activities during the festival will include workshops (calligraphy, chainmail weaving, and more) and medieval board games (entertainment for the whole family in the style of ancient strategies).
Background: The organizers of the event are Kyiv Military Hub, BuhurtSich and the NGO Historical Patriotic Society Kyivgrad. The festival is supported by the Kyiv City State Administration and the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.