The Capital of Turkey Hosted the Days of Ukrainian Culture

Last weekend, the capital of Turkey hosted the Days of Ukrainian Culture, which included screenings of contemporary Ukrainian films The Rising Hawk and Culture vs War, the animated film Mykyta Kozhumiaka, and an exhibition of paintings by Lviv artist Olha Dovhan-Levytska entitled Rituals and Flowers. This was reported by an Ukrinform correspondent.

‘The films and even a cartoon that we have chosen for the screening tell about the struggle of Ukrainians for their freedom and their land. This was relevant in the 13th century, when the events of The Rising Hawk took place, and now, when Ukrainians are fighting for their independence. And even the little Mykyta Kozhumyaka saves this world from the evil that Ukraine is doing now,’ Iryna Ambarkyukoglu, head of the Ukrainian Union in Ankara, told Ukrinform.

According to her, the screenings were attended by representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in Ankara and Turkish citizens interested in Ukrainian history, culture and art.

‘To be honest, organising such a film festival is not an easy task, as it requires coordination of many processes, reaching agreements, and the financial side is not without effort.

But we managed to do it, and we have great hope that this event will become a tradition, expand and be filled with other components. Our goals are to support the community by creating a Ukrainian space, to give them the opportunity to gather and immerse themselves in contemporary Ukrainian cinema, and, just as importantly, to provide historical explanations and understanding of current events, the Russian-Ukrainian war, to the local community and representatives of Turkish society,’ said Iryna Ambarkyukoglu in her commentary.

According to her, she received good feedback from those who spent the weekend attending the Days of Ukrainian Culture in Ankara.

The programme of screenings also included a short film ‘Vishakania’ by Turkish director Alp Aslan, shot in Lviv without a mobile phone budget. This short film has been screened at various film festivals and won the Best Crime Short Film and Best Editing awards at the Chilean Film Festival. It was also selected for screening at the Iphone Film Festival MoziMotion.