Three historic venues in West Virginia to show Ukrainian film 'The Guide'

Lauren LaRocca, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
Updated ·2 min read

Aug. 7—The Stand With Ukraine Through Film campaign is coming to the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia for a regional film event this month.

The 2014 Ukrainian film "The Guide" will be shown in three historic venues and will be the state's premiere of this effort. The screenings will raise funds, as well as educate Americans on the war's impact and history. All event proceeds will go toward supporting Ukraine.

"The Guide" is a two-hour dramatic film produced by acclaimed Ukrainian director Oles Sanin in 2014, which is set against Soviet efforts to exterminate the Ukrainian people in the 1930s through starvation and other policies. It was selected as the Ukrainian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, and despite the film's historical setting, it feels quite current.

This is an amazing story of how a small community cinema in Salem, Massachusetts, kickstarted the global release of the film to support Ukraine. The first showing at Cinema Salem in March 2022 raised $12,000 and was attended by speakers Gov. Charlie Baker, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll and Congressman Seth Moulton.

Immediately after its premiere, "The Guide" was released nationwide.

The project has raised more than $150,000 to support Ukraine and continues to grow, as more venues across the country screen the film.

"When the Stand With Ukraine Through Film project contacted us, we said yes immediately to hosting this fundraiser," said Steve Pearson, co-owner of The Shepherdstown Opera House. "When we see the events in Ukraine on television and the internet, they can seem distant and clinical. Watching 'The Guide' helps us feel the struggle of the Ukrainian people — that it's not just a conflict over borders or economic power but an ongoing war of ideals and freedom."

Tickets are available for purchase at individual box offices, as well as the venues' websites, and additional opportunities to donate will be available at each event. Learn more at standwithukrainethroughfilm.org.

SCREENINGS

n 8 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Star Theatre, Berkeley Springs, W.Va. Tickets are $10 and available at historicstartheatre.square.site. This screening kicks off their annual American Heritage Celebration weekend.

n 3:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Opera House in Shepherdstown, W.Va. Tickets are a pay-as-you-wish and available at shepherdstownoperahouse.thundertix.com/events. Anton Greene, who was the co-star of the film at the age of 9, will be doing a virtual audience Q&A directly following the film. He is now a student at the University of Michigan, majoring in political science and jazz.

n 7 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Apollo Civic Theatre in Martinsburg, W.Va. Tickets are $15 and available at apollocivictheatre.org/season-details.