The
Ukrainian Film Weekend is happening this weekend at the Lafayette Theater in Suffern, with the first movie on Friday night at 7 p.m.
The three-day event will also benefit the
Blue & Yellow Foundation, which supports Ukrainians affected by the war with Russia. Every ticket sale will go toward its mission.
The event happens to take place after a Russian attack killed a dozen people in Kyiv.
"At the end of the day, it's the humanities that has to step up and end this war," said Oksana Hauser, with the foundation.
There will be eight films shown. All were released while the country has been fighting.
"I hope people leave the festival with a little more hope," said Luzer Twersky, who is an actor in "Dovbush," which will play on Sunday. He says his character, Besht, is one of his ancestors.
He tells News 12 about his time in Ukraine during the early days of the war, "we had a big screening over there in a big movie theater. During the Q&A after the movie, there was an air raid siren... Nobody moved. That's when it hits you, you realize, the bravery of the Ukrainian people."
The theater's owner, Ari Benmosche, wanted to show his support for the country in conflict, "despite all my anger and wanting to combat violence with violence, why don't we combat it with art, appreciation, beauty, tolerance, love?"