Six films that reveal the Holodomor's tragic legacy on the Ukrainian people
November 25th is the Holodomor Memorial Day, commemorating the events that occurred 90 years ago when the Soviet authorities artificially induced a famine in Ukraine, causing the genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Approximately 10.5 million Ukrainians lost their lives during the Holodomor of 1932-1933, as documented by the Museum of the Holodomor in 2021.
The actions of the Soviet authorities in 1932-33 were aimed at the destruction of the Ukrainian nation, involving the confiscation of grain and other food products from peasants, despite significant grain reserves. The USSR exported this grain abroad during the Holodomor, and prevented them from leaving the country, causing the Ukrainian population to starve.
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The Soviets rejected foreign aid in an attempt to maintain the façade that there was no famine.
The tyrant Joseph Stalin, in his efforts to suppress the Ukrainian national liberation movement and eliminate the peasantry, chose a cruel method — hunger.
On the 90th anniversary of the genocide of the Ukrainian people and Holodomor Memorial Day, NV presents a selection of films and series depicting these harrowing times for the nation and Ukraine.
Mr. Jones
Historical thriller, 2019
The film tells the story of a Welsh reporter who was the first to publicly report the Holodomor genocide against Ukrainians in the Western press.
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In 1933, Welsh journalist Gareth Jones, known for his prior interview with Hitler, seeks his next significant story and travels to Moscow to interview Stalin. Curious about the Soviet Union's resource acquisition during a global crisis, Jones senses that something is amiss. Despite deadly threats from the Soviet security services, he embarks on his own investigation.
The journalist journeys to a decaying Ukraine, encountering deserted villages, starving children, and inhumane Red Army soldiers confiscating and sending food to Moscow. As he gets closer to uncovering the truth about the Holodomor, the greatest tragedy of the Ukrainian people, Jones faces increasing danger.
Bitter Harvest
Drama, 2017
A Canadian film about a love story set against the backdrop of the Ukrainian Holodomor of 1932-1933. It is the first English-language feature film about the Holodomor.
The story follows Yurii, a talented peasant painter and a descendant of a Cossack family. Alongside his lover Natalka, he attempts to navigate the cruel and inhumane conditions imposed by Stalin on Ukrainians. However, when his fellow villagers fall victim to the artificially created famine and repressions by the Soviet authorities, Yurii decides to rebel. His motivations include seeking revenge, saving his relatives, leaving the Ukrainian SSR, and revealing to the world the genocide of the Ukrainian people.
The Guide
Historical drama, 2014
An American engineer, Michael Shemrock, arrives in Kharkiv with his ten-year-old son, Peter, to work as a foreign specialist. By chance, Shemrock gets his hands on secret documents about the planned mass confiscation of food by the Soviet authorities. While getting on a train with his son, Shemrock is killed by security services, but Peter manages to escape and hides in the carriage of another train. The boy miraculously avoids pursuers, thanks to Ivan Kocherha, a blind bandura player secretly traveling in a freight car.
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Peter becomes Ivan's guide and learns that in the past he was the commander of a company in the Ukrainian People's Army. Ivan's friend finds the documents, which Michael discovered, in a book Peter had in his possession. These documents outline the plans for the Holodomor. Ivan decides to personally deliver the documents to Moscow to the anti-communist fighters there, aiming to spark an uprising. However, Peter falls ill, prompting Ivan to take him to his home. During this time, bandura players are declared hostile elements and subject to arrest. In the winter of 1932-1933, the Holodomor begins.
There Will Be People
Drama series, 2020
The series' plot is based on the lives of ordinary Ukrainian peasants at the beginning of the last century. It depicts their experiences through the First World War, the Revolution, the Soviet-Ukrainian War, the Holodomor, and the occupation of Ukraine by Soviet troops.
Saga
Drama series, 2020
The series narrates the 100-year journey of the Kozak family, starting from the early 20th century. It encompasses wars, revolutions, the Holodomor, Stalinist repressions, the Chornobyl explosion, the collapse of the USSR, the proclamation of Ukraine's independence, the Orange Revolution, and the Revolution of Dignity.
The Holodomor. Chroniclers
Documentary series, 2023
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The authors of the film, collaborating with historians and researchers, aim to help viewers understand that one of the reasons for the numerous victims of the Holodomor was the world's indifference to Stalin's tyranny. They delve into the dictator's intent to annihilate Ukrainians and explore the consequences that may still be affecting the nation today.
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