While a film gala in Vancouver and the bombardment in Kyiv, Ukraine may seem worlds apart, a local podcaster is bringing them together.
The team behind YVR Screen Scene is organizing YVR Screen Scene For Ukraine, a one-night event raising money for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal run by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
"Since Russia’s barbarous and unprovoked aggression began, the world has witnessed the spirit, grit, love, and fearlessness of the Ukrainian people,” says Ukrainian-Canadian actor Adrian Petriw. “They are persevering, taking the fight to a madman who expected a nation to kneel…But they are human beings, and they are facing a humanitarian disaster.”
Petriw will be co-hosting the night with Sabrina Rani Furminger, host and producer of the podcast.
The night will feature a screening of Maidan, a documentary film from Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa covering the 2014 uprising which ultimately ended with the resignation of the country's president, Viktor Yanukovych, and the annexation of Crimea by Russia. One of the main reasons for the demonstrations against Yanukovych were his close ties to Russia.
Along with the film there will be a bandura performance (banduras are Ukrainian folk instruments akin to a lute) and a post-film reception.
An online auction will be run alongside the gala from March 21 to April 4.
The film gala starts at 6:30 p.m. on March 30 at the VIFF Centre at 1181 Seymour St. Tickets for the gala are $25 and can be bought online. The auction isn't live yet and is still seeking donations of memorabilia, collectibles and film-related services.
