Razom Volunteers Targeted in Airstrikes While Delivering Aid in Sumy Region

Published: September 13, 2024

On the morning of September 13, Razom’s volunteers came under heavy airstrikes while delivering humanitarian aid to Yampil Hospital in the Sumy region. As they were unloading supplies, two air-dropped bombs (KABs) exploded just 100 meters from the hospital. Thankfully, the volunteers and hospital staff escaped serious injury. However, the hospital’s windows were shattered, and vehicles, along with the much-needed aid, were damaged by shrapnel.

Immediately after the attack, the hospital began receiving injured civilians, mainly women, children, and the elderly. Under extremely difficult conditions, the medical staff provided urgent care, even relocating to the hospital’s basement for safety.

Yampil, located just 7 miles from the Russian border, has been enduring nearly daily airstrikes, according to local residents.

In response to the worsening situation in Sumy and nearby regions, Razom for Ukraine launched an emergency program to supply hospitals in Sumy with essential medications, orthopedic equipment, and other critical materials. With today’s delivery to Yampil and previous deliveries to Sumy, Khotin, Shostka, and Hlukhiv, Razom has now provided nearly 10 tons of humanitarian aid, valued at $200,000.

Razom needs your help!

Innocent Ukrainians and volunteers are being targeted while delivering humanitarian aid. Let’s also remember the recent Red Cross tragedy on September 12, where three workers lost their lives in a similar attack.

Support Razom for Ukraine to replace the damaged vehicle and continue delivering life-saving aid across Ukraine. Every contribution saves lives!

Razom for Ukraine and The Howard G. Buffett Foundation: Delivering Lifesaving Medical Kits to Ukrainian Rescue Teams (DSNS)

Published: September 11, 2024

With each missile strike in Ukraine, time is critical. The State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine is usually the first to arrive on the scene, even before ambulances. These rescue workers push through the wreckage, to deal with the chaos and devastation, to provide critical aid. Their quick actions mean the difference between life and death for those injured in these horrific attacks.

In a recent tragedy in Poltava, a missile strike leveled building and claimed 58 lives. Over 300 people were injured, many critically. DSNS (SES) responders were the first on-site, acting with precision and urgency — applying tourniquets, stabilizing the wounded, and saving countless lives.

Yet, their courage alone isn’t enough. Without the proper medical supplies, even the most heroic efforts can fall short of intent. This is where international support becomes a lifeline.

Thanks to the partnership between The Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Razom for Ukraine, 4,300 lifesaving medical kits are being delivered to Ukrainian rescue teams. These kits aren’t just supplies, they are essential tools that enable SES responders to perform life-saving interventions in the most dangerous conditions.

Distributed to SES units across the country, these medical kits will be on the frontlines where they are needed most — Russian missile strikes can happen anywhere, at any time. Each kit represents hope and a second chance for those caught in the crossfire of war.

These first responders risk everything, day in and day out, to protect others. The support from The Howard G. Buffett Foundation ensures they have the tools to continue their vital work. It’s a partnership that saves lives.

And this is just one element in a larger effort. For Ukraine’s first responders, who risk their lives in the aftermath of every attack to continue their life-saving work, our ongoing support is crucial.

Ukraine is not alone in this battle. The global response has shown that together, we are stronger. International grants, humanitarian aid, and critical medical donations like these are making a real difference. Thanks to initiatives like those from The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the path to victory becomes clearer every day.

Together, we are stronger!

Impact of “20 Days in Mariupol” Across U.S. Campuses

Published: September 6, 2024

In the lead-up to its historic Oscar win in 2024, 20 Days in Mariupol garnered remarkable support from Razom Connect, specifically through its Razom Cinema and Ukraine on Campus projects. Partnering with PBS Distribution, we successfully distributed 50 DVDs of this poignant film to universities across the United States. This initiative not only broadened the film’s reach but also ensured its lasting impact through donations to campus libraries.

The screenings of 20 Days in Mariupol extended beyond the university campuses where they were held, igniting a wave of empathy and activism. This powerful documentary, directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov, became a tool for profound reflection on the human experience during crises. Through these screenings, art demonstrated its transformative power to foster understanding, compassion, and hope amid adversity.

We also provided a screening toolkit to aid participants in planning and promoting their events. This toolkit included pre-made graphics and suggested captions for social media to amplify the impact of the film.

Event Highlights:

Harvard University: Featured Mariupol survivor Alina Beskrovna, who brought artifacts from the war, offering students a tangible connection to the devastation.
Montclair State University: Hosted a discussion with Michael Levdanski and Marianna Tretiak, providing insights from those actively aiding Ukraine.
University of Wisconsin: Led by student Anna Kovalchuk, focused on personal connections to the war and its impact on the university community.
University of Minnesota: Included survivors and Consul General Beth Richardson. Artem, a 17-year-old Mariupol survivor featured in the film, spoke to a large audience about his experiences.
City College of New York: Partnered with The Documentary Forum for a high-attendance screening, featuring influential cultural activist Daria Kolomiec.

The response from students was overwhelmingly positive. Many expressed deep emotional reactions and gained a more meaningful understanding of the war. The film effectively challenged false narratives and provided a sobering view of life during war, inspiring empathy and connection across all 50 campuses.

Impact Report from DVD distribution to University campuses

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Empowering Ukraine’s Heroes with Emergency Response Medical Training

Published: September 5, 2024

In times of crisis, having the right skills can mean the difference between life and death. At Razom for Ukraine, we believe that everyone should be prepared to act in emergencies, which is why we’ve provided our emergency response medical training program to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine.

These professionals frequently operate in high-risk areas — whether documenting war crimes, working at missile strike sites, or combatting criminal activities in hot zones. Their work is essential, but it also places them in dangerous situations where immediate action is often required.

Training for Real-World Scenarios

Our training began with a focus on the specific challenges these staff members face. Over three days, they received both theoretical and hands-on instruction, learning essential emergency procedures. The final day involved realistic simulations, during which participants practiced their new skills under stress-inducing conditions, closely mirroring the scenarios they might encounter in the field.

While this three-day course provided a solid foundation, it’s just the beginning. Many participants expressed a desire for further training, recognizing the importance of ongoing education in lifesaving skills. We plan to expand this program to reach even more staff members, particularly those working in frontline areas.

Making a Difference, Together

At Razom for Ukraine, we are proud to support those who play a critical role in the fight for justice and freedom. By equipping Ukrainians with these priceless skills, we aim to make their work safer and empower them to continue serving their country with confidence.

We wish that there wasn’t a need for this kind of preparation but in the event that it must be utilized, we are proud to have contributed to the safety and well-being of these brave individuals. Together, we are making a difference.

Thank you for supporting Razom!

RAZOM CINEMA GRANT REPORT: OKSANA KARPOVYCH’S “INTERCEPTED” – NEW DIRECTORS NEW FILMS 2024

Published: August 29, 2024

Having traveled around the world, collecting international awards along the way, Razom Cinema grantee “Intercepted” has come home for its theatrical release this August. A hearty congratulations to the Oksana and the whole film team with this accomplishment! With this in mind, let’s take it back to the beginning.

For the past 53 years, the Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) have brought together a program of films and filmmakers who speak to the present and anticipate the future of cinema – those who push the envelope in unexpected, striking ways. This is done under the auspices of the New Directors New Films (N/D) festival. In recent years, Ukrainian films started to populate the N/D line up and it’s no surprise to see groundbreaking films like “Stop Zemlia”, “Pamfir”, and now “Intercepted” take their well deserved spots as alumni of the festival.

For the North American premiere, Razom Cinema supported the “Intercepted” film team to bring director Oksana Karpovych, producer Olha Beshkmelnytsina, and composer Olesia Onykiienko to the premiere screening. For a film that exposes so much and reflects on the Russian imperial behavior with its complete disregard for civilian lives, it’s important to have the filmmakers be there to guide the audiences through thoughts and questions.

Since February 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine has intercepted and recorded thousands of phone calls made between Russian soldiers on the front line in Ukraine, to their family and relatives. Those phone calls were made public to expose the true mentality of those on Ukrainian land, committing war crimes. After reviewing hours of these calls, Oksana and her team came up with what now is an award-winning documentary “Intercepted” – a photojournalistic and audibly heavy report of what has happened in Ukraine.

If you weren’t able to catch the screening, make sure to listen in to the discussion with Oksana Karpovych at New Directors New Films.

Following the successful screening in New York, the “Intercepted” team was able to engage with various media and received several positive reviews from the likes of IndieWire, Variety, Filmmaker Magazine, and others. We look forward to seeing just how far the film will go in the coming fall, so keep an eye out for it!

Razom Cinema aims to promote and celebrate the vibrancy of Ukrainian voices and assure a strong representation of Ukraine on various important stages. From grants, partnerships, and programming, we unlock possibilities such as the ones listed above – bring Ukrainian creators to important spaces to meet, partner, and do with international talent.

Thank you to our donors who made this possible, and everyone who supports Razom.

RAZOM CINEMA CELEBRATES THE THEATRICAL RELEASE OF “RULE OF TWO WALLS”

Published: August 21, 2024

Working with Razom Cinema’s Polina Buchak has been one of the most gratifying parts of the journey of making this film. The support and advocacy for our project has been nothing short of inspiring. The dream of every filmmaker is to reach as wide an audience as possible, and Razom has helped us immeasurably to connect with both Ukrainian and American audiences globally. Our film quite simply would not have been as successful had it not been for our partnership with Polina and the whole heroic team at Razom. Дуже дякую, Слава Україні!

– Director David Gutnik

Together with DCTV Firehouse, Razom Cinema celebrated the theatrical release of an award-winning documentary “Rule of Two Walls” directed by David Gutnik. Previously, Razom Cinema awarded the film team a grant to support their World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival 2023. With this support, in part, the team was able to bring several cast (artists featured in the documentary) and crew members to assure a strong Ukrainian representation at the festival (and industry events), as well as allow the U.S. audience to hear first hand stories from the creators.

Premiere screening at the Tribeca Film Festival 2023. From left to right: Volodymyr Ivanov (DP), David Gutnik (director), Olha Beskhmelnitsyna (producer), Bob Basset (featured artist), Mikhail Zakutskyi (sound recordist), Lyana Mytsko (featured artist), Stepan Burban (featured artist), Bohdana Davydiuk (featured artist), Andrew Orkin (music composer).

Many of our Razom friends and those who have been following Ukrainian cinema joined us at the opening night event on August 16, 2024. It was a moving night with lots of insightful conversations about the power that art holds when it comes to resistance, resilience, and reclaiming the Ukrainian identity that for years has been suppressed and hidden. This documentary, with executive producer Liev Schreiber, explores the war in Ukraine through the lens of artists living and creating amid utter destruction. Blurring the lines between what is happening in front of the cameras and behind, the film probes what it means to make cinema in a time of war.

If you happen to have missed the opening night discussion, you still have a chance to catch the closing night screening on August 22nd at 7:00 PM EDT at the DCTV Firehouse. In case you are tuning in outside of NYC, here’s a short recap of the discussion!

Thank you to our donors who made this possible, and everyone who supports Razom.

From Berlinale to Cannes – Razom Cinema Grant Report: Tetiana Khodakivska “The Blue Sweater with a Yellow Hole”

Published: August 9, 2024

“THANK YOU,

You can not imagine how much impact this grant has brought for our project
“The Blue Sweater with a Yellow Hole”

– Tetiana Khodakivska’s note

With the recent news from the Sundance Institute announcing their 2024 Documentary Fund Grantees, Razom Cinema congratulates Tetiana Khodakivska and her team for being part of the selected group. This important documentary highlights stories of Ukrainian children Kira, Taisa, and Artem as they paint their memories about time in Russian ‘re-education’ camps. In honor of this news, Razom Cinema wants to highlight the achievements of the grant that was provided to the film’s team to attend the industry events at Berlinale, CPH:DOX, and Cannes Doc festivals.

The Razom Travel Grant helped present “The Blue Sweater with a Yellow Hole” documentary in development at three events:

Berlinale, Berlin International Film Festival
CPH:DOX
Marché du Film, Cannes Doc

Thanks to the grant, the team secured a sale-agent, found an Executive Producer, co-production in two European countries, received one $12,000 Grant and applied for three more grants overall for $200,000. The filmmakers also have found the fiscal sponsor for the project that brings further opportunity for funding of the film to bring it to completion.

Berlinale, Berlin International Film Festival

During Berlinale, the director participated in an advocacy event organized by Terre Des Hommes, a children’s rights organization, where she discussed the issue of children’s deportation and indoctrination in front of 500 people and presented a 3-minute video. Since the event focused on the rights of young people, it was an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about the ongoing issue of children’s deportation and indoctrination. Among the meetings at the Berlinale Market, the most successful one was with a representative from CAT&Docs Sales, which led to a deal memo with this sales company.

CPH:DOX

During CPH:Forum, the documentary was selected for a pitch in front of 2,000 industry representatives. Over the following two days, the team had 15 meetings with broadcasters, impact strategists, potential co-producers, and funds such as the Swedish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Chicken & Egg Pictures, and representatives from Berlinale, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Points North Institute. During that time, they also engaged with potential advocacy event partners like Artist Moving Image and Kunsthal Charlottenborg, while sharing their story with The Guardian and The New York Times.

A meeting with Catapult Film Fund resulted in an invitation to apply for their grant, which is currently being considered.). The most successful meeting was with Impact Partners Fund, where the team was invited to submit a grant application for $150,000.

Another great meeting was with Women Make Movies (WMM), which, among other activities, represents projects as a fiscal sponsor for selected films. Although they were initially skeptical, having seen many Ukrainian projects in recent years, the meeting was very positive. They understood the project’s importance, and the film team is currently signing a contract with WMM. Other connections resulted in securing a $35,000 grant from the Elsa & Peter Soderberg Charitable Foundation, which only works through a fiscal sponsor.

One of the meetings resulted in new members joining the documentary team. Jane Mote was invited to be the team’s fundraising producer, as she was deeply moved by the story and truly wants to help spread awareness about Ukraine and the unlawful relocation of children. Jane works as a consultant for The Whickers Fund and knows many inspiring people with whom the team hopes to collaborate.

Marché du Film, Cannes Doc

Marché du Film selected the documentary for the spotlight section at the festival, organizing and curating one-on-one and group meetings for the team throughout the week. The Razom Cinema grant enabled the director and producer to both attend. Tetiana also won the Producer’s Network Badge and participated in the Producer’s Network activities, which were very beneficial for making industry connections. Additionally, she was selected to give an inspirational speech during the morning boost program.

The team met with the programmer of the Movies That Matter Festival, which specializes in impact-oriented films, the market manager of IDFA, One World International Human Rights Festival, and the head of Industry at Visions du Réel. All were impressed with the documentary and connected the team with their fund, to which the filmmakers have since applied . Additionally, the team met with Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, the programmer of the Sundance Film Festival, and the head of Industry at Ji.Hlava IDFF. In Cannes, the team had a meeting with an IMS (International Media Support) representative, resulting in a $12,000 grant.

Razom Cinema aims to promote and celebrate the vibrancy of Ukrainian voices and assure a strong representation of Ukraine at various industry events. Our travel grants unlock possibilities such as the ones listed above – bring Ukrainian creators to important spaces to meet, partner, and do with international talent.

Thank you to our donors who made this possible, and everyone who supports Razom.

Learn more about Razom efforts on the cultural diplomacy front within our Razom Culture project.

Razom Supports Ukrainian Education with Summer Mathematics School

Published: August 5, 2024

At Razom, we are committed to advancing education in Ukraine and empowering the talented youth who will shape the future. We are thrilled to share that we recently sponsored a mathematics camp for students in grades 1-7.

From June 29 to July 7, 2024, Tsyfra, a leading math club in Kyiv, hosted a mathematics school at the “Khvilya” resort, bringing together 130 enthusiastic participants. Tsyfra is renowned for its dedication to supplementary math education and cultivating scientific thinking among young people. Their program covers math, mathematical logic, physics, natural science, and chess through a variety of learning methods, including study groups, lectures, seminars, and games.

This summer’s school was the culmination of two months of intensive planning and preparation by teachers, organizers, and Tsyfra’s talented team. We are incredibly grateful to our generous donors for making this event possible and to the dedicated educators and organizers who worked tirelessly to bring it to life. A special thank you to all the students and their families, whose enthusiasm and participation made this camp a resounding success. We are proud to have sponsored such an inspiring event and are thankful for the opportunity to support this amazing initiative.

What Parents Are Saying:

Nataliya Vrodskaya: “Thank you for creating a wonderful experience filled with love for children and mathematics. It was a much-needed boost for my child. We appreciate the warmth and care you put into this camp!”
Nadya Voytekho: “A huge thank you! The program was engaging, fun, and informative. This was our first experience with Tsyfra, and my son is absolutely thrilled! Everything was fantastic. You are incredible!”
Darya Ruban: “As always, we are delighted. We can’t wait for the fall sessions!”

Together, we are building a brighter future for Ukraine’s youth through education and support.

We invite you to learn more about Razom’s Relief Program, including Razom Ticket, and consider supporting our efforts.

Razom Cinema and the Ukrainian Museum Host a Night of Ukrainian Queer Short Films in Partnership with Sunny Bunny

Published: August 1, 2024

Last Friday marked the first collaboration between Razom Cinema, Sunny Bunny LGBTQIA+ film festival, and the Ukrainian Museum in New York City. A diverse crowd of all ages visited the museum for a special inaugural screening of the Ukrainian Queer Shorts film program.

The event showcased six Ukrainian short films, each portraying the unique experiences of queer communities in Ukraine. From a short documentary on the non-binary experience of a Crimean-Tatar serving in the Ukrainian army to an intimate portrayal of young lesbian love in Kyiv, the program aimed to provide a snapshot of queerness in times of war. Among the featured directors were Kateryna Khramtsova, Yelyzaveta Sherstnyova, Olia Koval, Anzhelika Ustymenko, Zoya Laktionova, Anton Shebetko, and Olena Siyatovska.

The Razom Cinema Impact Producer, Polina Buchak, and the Development Coordinator at The Ukrainian Museum, Maryna Prykhodko, introduced the event, highlighting the need for the representation of Ukrainian queerness in the arts. They also emphasized the program’s connection with the ongoing Peter Hujar: Rialto exhibition at the Museum.

In addition to the screening, the audience experienced a pre-recorded moderated conversation between Bohdan Zhuk, Director of Sunny Bunny, and Nick McCarthy, Director of Programming at NYC-based NewFest. Zhuk and McCarthy discussed the artistry of the chosen films and contextualized them in Ukrainian queer past and future, sharing their experiences leading LGBTQIA+ festivals in Kyiv and NYC. Zhuk also recommended three, must-watch Ukrainian films with LGBTQIA+ themes and underscored the need for advancing Ukrainian Queer studies research. The conversation is available on our YouTube platform – we highly recommend you check it out!

Thank you to the filmmakers featured in the program, to our volunteers who made the event possible, and everyone who came to support this initiative.

We are excited to have had the opportunity to work with The Ukrainian Museum and look forward to future events together.

Photos by Polly Chesnokova.

Make sure to follow our newsletter and social media for more announcements!

Learn more about Razom efforts on the cultural diplomacy front within our Razom Culture project.

Statement from Razom on the Release of Hostages and Political Prisoners from Russia

Published: August 1, 2024

Statement from Razom on the Release of Hostages and Political Prisoners from Russia

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