UKRAINE, Feb 17 — On March 20, an English version of the Ukrainian documentary ‘Slovo’ House, directed by Taras Tomenko, will premiere in Ukraine. Then, the film will premiere in the UK, Austria, Germany, Estonia, France, Canada, and the USA, reported the organizers of the premieres. 

The documentary was filmed in 2017. It recalls the lives of intellectuals and poets, writers living in the ‘Slovo’ house in Kharkiv, specifically built for them in the 1920s under Stalin’s orders, to motivate them to work for the well-being of the Soviet Union. Most of the people living and creating in ‘Slovo’ house were soon executed by the regime and became part of the group known to Ukrainian history as the Executed Renaissance”. 

“That movie carries the message that resonates with everyone who’d ever faced repressions or language oppression. I dream of seeing the ‘Slovo’ House at universities abroad so young people and decision-makers there can watch it. I want this movie to become available on international platforms like Netflix so that people all over the world would see it. I want this film to become a voice for writers and artists who face persecution, imprisonment, or torture today, [or were facing it] in the past,” said Natalka Tsymbal, an ambassador for the movie. 

In Kyiv, the English version of the documentary premiered on Feb 13, with the closed screening within the project called “Remember the past—fight for the future,” which aims to protect Ukrainian culture from destruction. 

Project organizers plan to hold a number of international documentary screenings and events with other Ukrainian artists who represent and promote the country’s culture worldwide. 

‘Slovo’ House will have English dubbing and Ukrainian subtitles. 

Watch ‘Slovo’ House in Ukrainian on YouTube with English subtitles. 

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