Film Reveals Ukrainian Resilience

Have you wondered recently where the Ukrainian spirit of resilience comes from? Look no further than Baba Babee Skazala (Grandmother Told Grandmother).

Watch this documentary for two reasons. First, to understand its war-torn history (which I didn’t know about when we began editing the film). During WWII, Ukraine was crushed by Nazi Germany on the West and the Soviets on the East.

“I could see trucks loaded with people, crying, because they were sent to Siberia,” says aging Maria Figlus, who left Ukraine at age 18.

Many Ukrainian citizens became known as DP’s, or Displaced Persons. But the displacement  oddly helped preserve and fortify Ukrainian culture.

As filmmakers, also watch director Matej Silecky’s first feature to study its artistry. Observe how the animated archival footage and the bold use of sound effects enhance the lined faces of its characters.

You can screen these stories of resilience here. (There are 4 links just under the trailer video – 3 are ad supported and one is rental.)

Happily, the film is now slated for PBS through NETA.  The producer asked me to cut the feature-length documentary down to a TV hour. It was a joy. Thank you to Julie Parker for this testimonial:

“We couldn’t imagine a way to further cut from a feature-length documentary to an even shorter TV edit without losing critical parts of the history. Yet, Karen quickly and efficiently provided TV edit recommendations that were absolutely spot on, and maintained every aspect of the story – so much so that those who watched both versions of the film barely noticed the cuts!”