THE SCREENING of the DOCUMENTARY "MAriupol.unloss hope"

  Crew

Idea — Tala Prystaetska

Director — Max Lytvynov

Journalist — Natalia Kruzhylina

Cameraman — Yuriy Smetanin

Producers — Organization of Ukrainian Producers (OUP), Volodymyr Borodyansky, Iryna Plakhotniuk

The documentary film "Mariupol. Unlost Hope" is the testimony of ordinary eyewitnesses of Russia's war against Ukraine. Three women and two men who lived in Mariupol for the first month of the invasion tell us what they saw, felt, and how they made decisions during these events. An off-screen voice reads the diaries of one of the heroines, Mariupol journalist Nadezhda Sukhorukova, who wrote down what she saw around her then.

Nadia Sukhorukova: "All this should not have happened in the 21st century. I want people to understand the absurdity of the situation and to feel that thousands are dying because of the malice, cruelty, and hatred of the Russian occupiers. It's important for me that every crime of Rashists is recorded, and they will be responsible for everything."

Dmytro Kuleba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our embassies worldwide uncover the truth about crimes of the Russian Federation every day. Screening a film about Mariupol is an important contribution to this cause. Public Diplomacy, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, works especially actively during the war because such humane projects make reaching out to people outside Ukraine possible. 

Real-life stories of Ukrainians are the best tool to oust Russian propaganda and lies. The documentary "Mariupol. Unlost Hope" will allow foreign viewers to see Russian aggression through the eyes of its direct witnesses. We are working to ensure that the world sees the true face of the Russian Federation, and we will not stop until the last Russian soldier leaves our land and those guilty of aggression and crimes are punished."

A panel discussion followed the screening

"Truth must not be a victim of war."

Panel Members:

• -Maxim Lyrvinov, director of the documentary "Mariupol. Unlost Hope"
• -Vadim Boychenko. Mayor of Mariupol
•  Olena Lennon, Associate Professor of Homeland Security, Division of Government and Public Service, University of New Haven
• Malik Nadeem Abid, Secretary General of the UN International Commission on Human Rights
• David Simon, Director of the Yale Genocide Program, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the Jackson School of Global Affairs, and Senior Lecturer.
• William A. Verdone, Deputy Ambassador of the International Commission on Human Rights to the United Nations

Producer Volodymyr Borodyansky: "The war continues. The heroes of our films have survived. The Russians are trying to erase the very memory of their crimes and create another pseudo-reality. They are trying to destroy all possible references to their crimes in Mariupol. Our film Mariupol. Unlost Hope" initially aimed to fix Everything we can to prevent reality from being distorted." 

Nowadays, the film has shown screenings in several states across the United States, including New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Providence. Future screenings are planned in Cleveland, Boston, Johnson City, Oklahoma, and other cities.