A Journey Through Ukrainian Literature
Explore a rich array of Ukrainian books already translated into English, supported by Razom.
From Volodymyr Rafeyenko’s Mondegreen and his magical realism novel The Length of Days, exploring the annexation of Donetsk, to captivating works by other Ukrainian literary giants like Serhiy Zhadan, Andriy Kurkov, and Oksana Litsyshyna, as well as non-fiction accounts by Stanislav Aseyev, Serhiy Zhadan, and Andriy Kurkov. If you enjoyed “20 Days in Mariupol,” delve into the novel by its director, Mstyslav Chernov, titled The Dreamtime.
Olena Stiazhkina’s books.
Cecile the Lion Had To Die, a novel about the four Donetsk families and two generations, the last Soviet one and the first Ukrainian one. This book was Razom Book Club’s favorite read in 2021, which is why we extended a grant to publish it. This novel has already been taught in a few U.S. universities and received great marks by students and professors. Also, Olena’s diary of Russia’s 2014 take over of Donetsk was published for the first time in English. It was originally written in Russian, but the author decided not to publish it in the original language.
New Translations of Lesia Ukrainka
The modernist Ukrainian writer Lesia Ukrainka (pen name of Larysa Kosach-Kvitka) pioneered a new feminist literature at the forefront of European trends of the time. Born in 1871, her dramas, poetry and prose address concerns ranging from gender and race to feminism and environmentalism.
Harvard University Press is publishing a new translation of Cassandra, a dramatic poem and a translation of Forest Song by Razom’s frequent collaborators Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps of Yara Arts. Cassandra has already played to great reviews in London in 2021, and Yara Arts staged Forest Song online during the Covid quarantine (available online).
Yaroslav Trofimov
Immerse yourself in the riveting firsthand account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine capturing the heroism and resilience of the Ukrainian people, as recounted by Yaroslav Trofimov, Wall Street Journal’s Chief Foreign Correspondent. The title, Our Enemies Will Vanish, comes from Ukraine’s national hymn.
Artem Chapaye
A stunning debut collection by Artem Chapaye, a Ukrainian writer currently defending his country in Kyiv.
His collection, featuring the celebrated title story The Ukraine, published in the New Yorker in 2022, offers irreverent, tender, uncomfortable and inconvenient narratives.
Other Anticipated Books in 2024
Look forward to new translations of Andriy Kurkov’s novels, Artem Chech’s And Who are You?, Oksana Lutsyshyna’s Love Life, classics by Valerian Pidmohilny and Mike Iohanssen, and a sweeping Second World War novel depicting Kyiv under occupation by Oleksiy Nikitin.
A Journey Through Ukrainian Cinema
This powerful, award-winning documentary directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov, is one of the “musts” to watch and spread the word about.
This year, “20 Days in Mariupol” made history for Ukraine by getting on the shortlist for the Academy Awards in two categories – International Feature and Documentary Feature.
Razom is proud to partner with
FRONTLINE | PBS in bringing this documentary to universities around the U.S. through our Ukraine on Campus program.
If you are a student, professor, staff at a university and would like to participate, reach out to info@razomforukraine.org and stay tuned for announcements!
In the meantime, catch the film online and spread the word!
Watch: 20 Days in Mariupol (full documentary) | FRONTLINE and The Associated Press
pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/20-days-in-mariupol
For more updates and where to catch the film next, see
Another documentary that entered the Razom Cinema network is Polish/Ukrainian/French collaboration called “In The Rearview”. Behind this award-winning film is a small team of filmmakers who put their lives on hold to help Ukraine and ended up documenting the journey. “In The Rearview” is a collection of stories that director Maciek Hamela recorded during his volunteer rescue expeditions to evacuate people from different regions in Ukraine to safety. In the recent Q&A after the screening, producer Anna Palenchuk shared that she and her family had to leave Bucha around the same time as Maciek’s rescue missions. “I could’ve been one of his passengers”, said Anna. Razom supported the documentary during the OSCAR 2024 campaign as it is another Ukrainian story in the run for the nominations.
Follow their social media channels for the latest on upcoming screenings: https://www.instagram.com/intherearview.film/
If you are interested in bringing this film to your community, give us a shout!
Razom had the pleasure to support the production of “A Rising Fury”, which is now a critically acclaimed and 96th Academy Award longlisted feature documentary about the Russo-Ukrainian War. Directed/produced by Lesya Kalynska and Ruslan Batytskyi, produced by TJ Collins and Jonathan Borge Lie, the film reveals the true untold story of how the Russo-Ukrainian war began in 2014. It’s a story about love, revolution, deception, and war filmed for nearly 10 years through intimate verité material. The filmmaking team has plans to make the documentary available to stream to the public in the U.S. and abroad in late spring 2024.
Mark your calendar – “A Rising Fury” will have a special screening in LA at TCL Chinese Theater on February 22, 2024 at 3:30PM and 7:00PM. For more information about the film and what’s next for the team, go to https://arisingfury.com/
RULE OF TWO WALLS
In Summer 2023, Razom provided a grant to the documentary team “Rule of Two Walls” to help bring their team and Ukrainian artists featured in the documentary to attend the World Premiere of the film at the Tribeca Film Festival. Since then, the documentary traveled across other prestigious film festivals and will screen in Australia at the Antenna Documentary Film Festival in February.
Executive produced by Liev Schreiber, the film gives an insight into the lives of Ukrainian artists who create art as a defiant act in the face of aggression.
Follow the film page on instagram https://www.instagram.com/ruleoftwowallsfilm/
KLONDIKE
After becoming the first Ukrainian filmmaker to receive the Sundance Award in World Cinema Dramatic Competition in 2022, Maryna Er Gorbach and her film “Klondike” collected various international awards and were Ukraine’s submission to the OSCARS 2022. This past Summer, “Klondike” had its U.S. theatrical release at the Angelika theater. Razom supported the film with a grant during its Oscars campaign.
You can now watch the film online!
A BLIND GAME / ГРА В СЛІПОТУ
Ruslan Batytskyi with Anna Borysova created powerful videos that documented Razom’s work and its impact on the ground in Ukraine. Their short documentary highlights the resilience and unbreakable spirit of sportsmen with disabilities – their undying motivation and belief in themselves. You can watch the full film on YouTube for free.
A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS
Another Razom supported film that made noise at the OSCARS 2023 after being nominated for Best Documentary Feature is the film directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont, co-produced by Ukrainian producers Darya Bassel and Vika Khomenko. The film follows the lives of children and the caregivers in an orphanage in Eastern Ukraine as the war in the region takes a heavy toll on families living nearby.
Razom helped assure there is a strong Ukrainian representation at the Oscars by providing a travel grant for the producers and caregivers featured in the documentary.
You can now watch the film on Apple TV
UKRAINIAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL
If you didn’t get the chance to attend the film screenings during UCF this past fall, you are able to catch some of them on TAKFLIX – Ukraine’s first streaming service of all things Ukrainian Cinema.
Feature Film:
Pamfir: https://www.takflix.com/en/films/pamfir
Short Films:
Liturgy of Anti-tanks Obstacles: When Ukrainian Artists Prepare for War | Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles | The New Yorker Documentary
I Didn’t Want To Make A War Film: I Did Not Want to Make a War Film | The New Yorker Documentary
Call Me Anytime, I’m Not Leaving The House: https://www.pbs.org/pov/films/callmeanytimeimnotleavingthehouse/
Diaper Cake: https://www.takflix.com/en/films/diaper-cake
Golden Leggings: https://www.takflix.com/en/films/gkchp
FREEDOM ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
Join us for a special screening of Evgeny Afineevsky’s documentary “Freedom on Fire” at the United Nations on February 20, 2024 at 6:30PM. Mark your calendars and keep an eye out for further announcements!
VESELKA – DOCUMENTARY
These dear friends of Razom are not only celebrating their 70th anniversary, but also the world premiere of documentary film “Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World” at Village East cinema.
VESELKA | Official Trailer (2024)
Join us on February 23, 2024 to support Veselka, their team, and their generational impact on the community.
Make sure to follow our newsletter and social media for more announcements!
Together, we can prove to cultural programmers that Ukrainian stories are necessary and that there is a large audience ready for them.
Дивимось і читаймо Українське Разом!