Friday, August 24th

7p Reception

8p "Acts of Imagination" by Carolyn Combs and Michael Springate, 2006
The story revolves around Jaroslaw (Billy Marchenski) and Katya (Stephanie Hayes), Ukrainian immigrants to Vancouver,  who each find  their place within Canadian society and struggle to make ends meet and honor their Ukrainian heritage. The film touches on the problem of immigration, historical memory and reconciliation with history which resonates with the public on both sides of the Atlantic.  English and Ukrainian.

930p Discussion - "Global Identity" with  Zbigniew Banas, Film Critic;  Carolyn Combs, Canadian Director; Slawomir Fabicki, Oscar ® Nominated Director; Alton Miller, Columbia College Chicago and Yuri Shevchuk,  Columbia University.

Saturday, August 25th

730p "The Unnamed Zone" by Carlos Rodriguez, 2006
Follows the stories of three young Ukrainians directly affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the worse nuclear disaster in history. They live perilously close to the exclusion zone around the destroyed station and recount their fears, dreams, fantasies and hopes for the future. There is a palpable sense of despair in this cinematographic trip to the heart of one of the world's most contaminated places still inhabited by close to five million people, who have basically been forgotten. Ukrainian with subtitles.

9p "Liza" by Taras Tomenko, 2006

The award winning filmmaker Tomenko follows a homeless teenage girl to understand the personal and societal reasons for the rise in numbers of Ukraine's unwanted children.  Ukrainian, Russian, and Surzhyk (hybrid of Russian and Ukrainian) with subtitles.

930p "A Man Thing" by Slawomir Fabicki, 2001
Three days in the life of a thirteen-year-old boy trying desperately to keep secret the fact that his father beats him. Lonely and with no support from his mother or from school, the boy finds his only friend in an old stray dog from the kennels.  Polish with subtitles.

10p Discussion - "Social Activism through Filmmaking" with Zbigniew Banas, Film Critic;  Carolyn Combs, Canadian Director; Adam Ensalaco, Greenpeace; Slawomir Fabicki, Oscar ® Nominated Director; Yuri Shevchuk, Columbia University; and Stephen Steim, Human Rights Watch.

1030p Reception

Sunday, August 26th

4p "Retrieval" by Slawomir Fabicki, 2005
Follows the fortunes of a nineteen-year-old trying to make his way in society. Living in an industrial city that has seen better days Wojtek faces a dismal future. However, he has fallen in love with Katja, a slightly older Ukrainian woman who lives with her young child. But how can he earn enough money to support Katja and her child, and get an apartment large enough for the three of them?  Polish with subtitles.

6p "There Was A Woman Who Lived In A Shoe" by Olena Fetysova , 2005

Documentaries about homeless children on the streets of Ukrainian cities are a common sight in countries in transition. This film is about a couple who offer their own solution to this problem. They take in homeless children into their own family and create a home for them, a private crisis center for orphans.  Original Ukrainian with subtitles.

630p Discussion - "Family Redefined" with Zbigniew Banas, Film Critic;  Slawomir Fabicki, Oscar ® Nominated Director and Yuri Shevchuk, Columbia University

7p Reception