EVENT

From December 23 to January 23 the Festival of French Children’s Movies will be held in 10 cities of Ukraine. This project was initiated by the French Embassy, the French Cultural Center, and Alliance Francaise in Ukraine. The program of the festival includes eight children’s movies (six animated and two live-action movies), created by French filmmakers. The organizers selected the best quality movies to be included in the festival’s program. The movies have a strong focus on eternal values: kindness, friendship, love, and mutual help. Most importantly, the movie screenings will create an unforgettable atmosphere of holiday cheer for the children. The program consists of the following movies: Azur et Asmar: The Princes’ Quest (Michel Ocelot, 2006), Kirikou and the Sorceress (Michel Ocelot, 1998), The King and the Mockingbird (Paul Grimault, 1980), U (Serge Elissalde, Gregoire Solotareff, 2006), Go West: A Lucky Luke Adventure (Olivier Jean Marie, 2007), Eleonore’s Secret (Dominique Monfery, 2009), Viper in the Fist (Philippe de Broca, 2004), and Trouble at Timpetill (Nicolas Bary, 2008). 

LUTSK – The famous politician, former Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin has visited Volhynia on more than one occasion. He was first invited there as early as 1996 by Olga Sagan, the head of the Russian Cultural Center. As she recalls, she did it to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Brusilov Offensive in the First World War: mass graves of soldiers who participated in the offensive are situated near village of Romashivka, at the border between the Volyn and Rivne oblasts. Members of the Cultural Center tend to the graves which are a burial place for Russians and Ukrainians alike. Since then, Sagan spoke with the Russian politician more than once, and visited his residence in Kyiv. At Chernomyrdin’s 70th birthday, she gave him a shirt which she had embroidered in Ukrainian style, wanting to give him a gift that came from the heart. She calls him a life teacher. The decision to name the Russian Cultural Center after Chernomyrdin is an example of how to honor the memory of a man who respected Ukrainian culture. 

The “Dancing Nation” concert of the Ukrainian Dance Association took place in the Officer’s House. According to the organizers, it is an experimental dance program in which collectives from Kyiv and Kharkiv took part. They presented performances in different styles, from ethnic (Eastern, Tribal, Balkan, Gypsy, Andalusian dances, flamenco and Sufi whirling) to modern dances (Lambada, hip-hop, swing, Charleston, jazz-funk and vogue). The program includes 35 solo, duet and collective dance performances. Let us remind that “Dancing Nation” is a large-scale show within the framework of a social project of the same name aimed at promoting the idea of personal development through dancing.

“We plan to show the concert in Kharkiv, Odesa, Donetsk and other Ukrainian cities. The main event of the project will be a Khreshchatyk dancing parade next fall. By the way, any dancing collective can participate in the programs. It is necessary to apply and be selected in the preliminary casting,” says Natalia Moholivets, the “Dancing Nation” project initiator and president of the Ukrainian Dance Federation.