Ukrainian film events this week

[Diana Howansky]

TOMORROW . . .

The Ukrainian Studies Program and the Ukrainian Film Club of Columbia 
University present:

"Agony and Ecstasy: Ukrainian Cinema Since Independence"

with special guest speaker, Prof. Serhiy Bukovsky,

the leading Ukrainian documentary filmmaker, winner of the 2002 Taras 
Shevchenko National Prize, author of the sensational documentary “War. 
Ukrainian Account”, and professor of the Ivan Karpenko Kary National 
University for Theater, Cinema, and Television. Prof. Bukovsky will 
share his thoughts about the current state of Ukrainian cinema and its 
prospects for the future. The event will include screenings of some of 
Bukovsky’s work, with subsequent discussion.

Mediated by Dr. Yuri Shevchuk, lecturer of Ukrainian language and 
culture, and director of the Ukrainian Film Club at Columbia University.

When:  Tuesday, October 25, 2005, 2:00 PM
Where:  Room 1219, International Affairs Building (12th floor), 420 W. 
118th St. (and Amsterdam Ave.), Columbia University, New York, NY

---------------------------------------------------------------------

AND ON THURSDAY . . .

After a year dominated by serious and art-house films, the Ukrainian 
Film Club of Columbia will turn to the entertaining genre of horror 
movies. The Club’s October 2005 event will feature:

“VIY,” or the Spirit of Evil,

a full-length feature film by director Kostiantyn Yershov (1967).

This classical picture, often billed as the first Soviet horror film, is 
based on the eponymous short story by the Ukrainian-born and reared 
19th-century writer Mykola Hohol who, later in life, came to be known 
around the world as Nikolay Gogol.

Since its release in 1967, “Viy” the film has captivated the imagination 
of millions, thanks to its combination of the best talent Soviet cinema 
could offer and a wealth of cultural material – legends, myths, songs, 
history and language that are unmistakably Ukrainian. Rarely did the 
Soviet censors allow such a breathtaking departure from the strictures 
of socialist realism, such an unabashed celebration of the spirit of 
Ukraine – all largely due to the fact that the picture was produced not 
in Ukraine, ever suspected of disloyalty for Moscow, but in Russia, at 
the Mosfilm Studios.

Restored to its original color version, “Viy” features a constellation 
of Soviet cinema stars: the tragicomic Leonid Kuravliov, the beautiful 
Natalya Varley, and the legend of Ukrainian stage and screen Mykola 
Yakovchenko.

“Viy” was directed by the Ukrainian film-maker and actor Kostiantyn 
Yershov, who started his career in Kyiv, where he played in the Lesia 
Ukrainka Russian Drama Theater. Later, he made a number of films at the 
Mosfilm and Lenfilm Studios (Russia) and then, from 1968 until his death 
in 1984, worked for the Dovzhenko Film Studios (Kyiv, Ukraine).

“Viy” will be shown in its original Russian language version with some 
peppering of Ukrainian idiom, for verisimilitude, with English subtitles.

The film will be introduced by Yuri Shevchuk, the director of the 
Ukrainian Film Club. Discussion will follow the screening.

This event is organized jointly with the Ukrainian Student Society of 
Columbia University.

When: October 27, 2005, Thursday, 7:30 PM
Where: Room 717, Hamilton  Hall, Columbia University

-- 
Diana Howansky
Staff Associate
Ukrainian Studies Program
Columbia University
Room 1209, MC3345
420 W. 118th Street
New York, NY  10027
(212) 854-4697
ukrainianstudies at columbia.edu
http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/ukrainianstudies/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------