Documentary With Local Ties Recalls Tragic Ukrainian Famine
As the war in Ukraine rages, a local film maker created a documentary that looks back at a tragic moment in history.
Written and directed by Plymouth resident Zina Gutmanis, the documentary recalls the Holodomor, a man-made famine that occurred in Ukraine in the 1930s under the Soviet regime.
Millions of people died during the famine.
Gutmanis has a personal connection to the Holodomor — her grandmother survived it, but never talked about.
She said few people are aware of the famine.
Plymouth resident Zina Gutmanis wrote and directed a documentary that recalls the Holodomor, a man-made famine that occurred in Ukraine in the 1930s under the Soviet regime.
“I think it’s important for us to study genocides and understand why they happened and to make sure that they don’t happen again,” Gutmanis said.
The film, called “Holodomor: Minnesota Memories of Genocide in Ukraine,” makes connections between local residents and the Soviet era. It also has timely connections to the modern war in Ukrane.
“Ukraine is in the news and it is at a point — a very critical point right now — and so I think that this film will also give people some insights into how things have developed and why they’ve developed,” she said.
Crystal-based artist Olga Dovgopola holds a basket of traditional Ukranian Easter eggs.
The film also features Crystal-based artist Olga Dovgopola. She makes traditional Ukranian Easter eggs.
She says these pieces of cultural art hold a much deeper meaning that meets the eye.
“It’s a miniature art but it tells a long story of our people,” Dovgopola said. “It’s like a prayer if you will, that speaks about who we are as a people, who we are as a community.”
The documentary airs at 8 p.m. on Jan. 5 on TPT MN 2-2.
It has another four showings on TPT MN 2-2 on Jan. 13 — 3 a.m., 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.
On TPT LIFE 2-3, it will play on Jan. 31 at 9 p.m.
