Oleg Vyshniakov - Ukraine and Israel. Israel will view contemporary Ukrainian cinema.

I have already written several times about how much the Israelis support the Ukrainians. Now Israel is interested not only in Ukrainian news, but also in Ukrainian culture.

Today in Israel a film festival "Week of the Ukrainian cinema" has started for the first time. Until October 13 citizens of Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Ashkelon and Haifa can view documentaries and full-length films by Ukrainian directors. Film Festival will be opened by the legendary "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" by Sergei Parajanov which became famous not only in Ukraine but all over the world.

Issue of the festival is very burning and relevant. Israelis will view works of young filmmakers about Maidan, a film dedicated to Savchenko Nadiia, films about the Crimean Tatars, the war in the East. In August Leonid Kanter brought to Israel a picture «The Ukrainians» which caused a great public outcry showing the Israelis the events in Ukraine by an eyewitness. The pro-Russian radicals were so afraid of this movie that even tried to disrupt the premiere.

I hope that the festival will take place without incident and will help to show the Israelis the real story of Ukrainian struggle for freedom. More than 400 000 families in Israel are of Ukrainian descent. I am sure that it is an important and necessary chance for Israelis to see the events of the past two years and an opportunity to join the Ukrainian contemporary culture.

Organizers of the Festival: non-governmental organization "Israeli Friends of Ukraine" with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Israel, the charity fund "Ukrainian Jewish Encounter" (Canada) and the Municipality of Ashkelon.