Ukrainian Volia Space cultural centre opens at Olympics – photos
A cultural representation of Ukraine called Volia Space has been opened for the first time at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. It has been created to promote Ukrainian culture and to tell the world about Russia's full-scale invasion.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia a reference to Associated Press
Details: Volia Space Ukrainian House is one of 15 festive clubs of national teams in Parc de la Villette, an international cultural exhibition on the outskirts of Paris. Guests will enjoy traditional Ukrainian cuisine and performances by artists, athletes and diplomats. Ukraine's Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi called the space "the headquarters of Ukraine in Paris during the Olympic Games".
"For Ukraine, the Olympics is first and foremost a big screen for the world. We remind the world that Ukraine exists, that it is fighting and is capable of winning. The very fact that Ukraine is represented at the Olympics during the full-scale war is a great demonstration of willpower," said Olena Kovalska, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, at the opening of the Ukrainian House.
In particular, Volia Space will feature the Oscar-winning Ukrainian film 20 Days in Mariupol and a number of other documentaries. Among them are Soldiers of Song (dir. Ryan Smith), Jamala: Songs of Freedom (prod. by Voice of America), La Flamme Ukrainienne (dir. Benjamin Montel and Antonin Boutinard Rouelle), Kids of Bomb Shelters (dir. Yulian Ulybin) and The Long Day (dir. Alan Badoev). The audience will be able to talk to the filmmakers and some of the actors.
Ukrainian documentary filmmakers have been very successful in spreading the true picture of the war in Ukraine. Only in the early spring of 2024 did the film 20 Days in Mariupol win the first Oscar for Ukrainians. Mstyslav Chernov, together with Vasylisa Stepanenko and Yevhen Maloletka, recorded the first 20 days of the city at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, managed to leave and created a film that was seen in many countries around the world.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine noted that singer Jamala performed on the stage of the Ukrainian House. In addition, the films Culture Quest. Ukraine, Jamala: Songs of Freedom and Soldiers of Song by Ryan Smith.
The space will be open until 10 August, and the organisers have prepared a programme of presentations on Ukrainian culture for each day. Guests and fans will also be treated to Ukrainian borshch, declared an intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO.
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