Cinema Salem's 'Stand With Ukraine' Night Sparks National Campaign

SALEM, MA — What began as a planned single screening of a little-known Ukrainian film in Salem has become a nationwide industry effort to help support the people of the war-torn country amid the Russian invasion.

Just days after the invasion, Cinema Salem co-owner Marshall Strauss began organizing "Stand With Ukraine Through Film" — a screening of the 2014 Ukrainian movie "The Guide" which tells the story of a 9-year-old boy's experience during the Soviet Union's mass execution of Ukrainians in the 1930s.

The March 13 screening was accompanied by music with Gov. Charlie Baker, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and Columbia University's Dr. Yuri Shevchuk attending as speakers. The event raised more than $12,000 — but more importantly, spurred interest among other theaters about hosting similar events and screening the film.

As of this week, more than 600 theaters across the country and Canada have shown "The Guide" and raised more than $100,000 for Ukrainian refugee and citizen relief.

The role of Cinema Salem owners Elaine Gerdine and Strauss, who bought the theater in 2020 while it was closed during the COVID-19 health crisis, in creating the "Stand With Ukraine Through Film" campaign was featured in a segment on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday.

"The support that cinemas and others within the film industry have been giving to Ukrainian relief has been stunning," Strauss said. "We were amazed at how fast the Salem community came together to raise funds.

"But now we are seeing the same energy and commitment spread across the country."

The first set of organizations to receive donations from the campaign are World Central Kitchen, the International Organization on Migration, Plast and the Ukrainian Studies Fund.

The director of "The Guide" have made the film available to any theater that wants to show it provided that all ticket revenue be donated to organizations supporting Ukraine during the invasion.

“That so many Americans are seeing this film now, eight years after it was released in Ukraine, sends a powerful message of support to Ukrainians who are today fighting against another Russian effort to wipe out Ukrainians and their culture," Shevchuk said.

The full "Good Morning America" segment can be found here:

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

Cinema Salem's 'Stand With Ukraine' Night Sparks National Campaign originally appeared on the Salem Patch