The opening ceremony of the Historical Documentary Film Festival was held at South Ural State University on November 26th. As part of the event, the film “Donbass: Memory of Generations” was presented to the audience. The festival is organised by the Russian Historical Society with the support of the History of the Fatherland Foundation.
The Rector of South Ural State University Alexander Wagner welcomed the festival participants:
“The event that is taking place today within the walls of our university is of great importance for students, teaching staff, and residents of Chelyabinsk. And, of course, I would like to thank the Russian Historical Society, the festival organizers, for choosing our university as a venue for this significant event. Many thanks to the guests of the event, who will present their films and allow us to get to know the heroes better and determine for ourselves the guidelines in the spiritual, moral, and cultural spheres of the history of Russia.”
For a whole day, films created by famous Russian documentary filmmakers will be screened for students, teachers, and guests of the university.
“This is an anniversary year for the regional branch of the Russian Historical Society in the Chelyabinsk region. Holding the Historical Documentary Film Festival with the support of the History of the Fatherland Foundation has become a true and precious gift for our tenth anniversary. I would like to express my gratitude for this honour, as well as for choosing the major university in our region as the venue for the event, and to our dear guests for their participation,” said Chairperson of the Branch of the Russian Historical Society in the Chelyabinsk Region, Head of the Department of Theology, Culture and Art, Professor Nataliia Parfentieva.
The film “Donbass: Memory of Generations” tells about the centuries-old history and cultural heritage of Donbass, about the life of its residents in the conditions of military conflicts and difficulties.
The film is based on the events that happened 80 years ago, when a bridgehead to liberate Ukraine from the Nazis was created in Donbass. The film features veterans who lived during the occupation and participated in the liberation of Donbass, as well as heroes who defended Donbass from modern Nazis for 8 years.
“Everyone should watch this film. It is interesting not only as a historical and documentary work, but also as an example of how the events of the past continue to resonate with what is happening today. I am sure that watching this film will have an impact on you that will help us in the future to avoid repeating the tragedies that occurred at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War and the events that are happening now,” said representative of the “Brother for Brother” Slovak public movement Držik Juraj.
The film also shows locations of the main battles and fights, especially emphasizing the gene of courage of the Donbass residents and, most importantly, the similarity between Nazism during the Great Patriotic War and Nazism in modern Ukraine.
“It is important to understand how historical events unfolded, to feel how young boys and girls fought, what strength of spirit they had. This is really important to know in order to prevent a repetition of tragic events,” shared a student of the SUSU Institute of Media, Social Sciences and Humanities Iuliia Nemytova.
The SUSU Historical and Documentary Film Festival offers the audience to watch a wide variety of films, which cover different aspects of the history and culture of Russia. You can check out the festival program on the SUSU website.