A Film & Fundraiser for Ukraine : Olga
Looking for a way to show its support for the people of Ukraine, Lighthouse International Film Festival is hosting a benefit for World Central Kitchen and their life-giving work feeding the citizens of that war-torn country on Wednesday May 11th at 7:30pm @lbifoundation
Specially selected for this benefit is the multi award-winning drama, Olga, which tells the 2014 story of a teenage Ukrainian gymnast exiled in Switzerland while training for the Olympics. As she prepares for competition, back home her friends and neighbors rise up to overturn the brutal dictatorship of Viktor Yanukovych, leaving Olga distant from the land she loves and powerless to help her struggling family.
“We chose this film because it offers a glimpse into the life of a Ukrainian girl forced to make difficult choices during a dangerous time of great uncertainty,” says Natalie Caricato, Director of Lighthouse International Film Society. “And we hope her story will bring the LBI community together for a common cause.”
While the film is not a documentary, it does star Ukrainian gymnast Anastasia Budiashkina in the role of Olga, and features other members of Swiss and Ukrainian national teams. The film’s French director, Elie Grappe, explains his strategy this way, “This film is about being exiled—a heroine torn by her loyalties to her country and career in a geopolitical situation beyond her control. I did not want to work with professional actors. I had to try and capture the truth using gymnasts. Which is why I chose these elite young athletes to explore the difficulties reconciling personal desires with the course of history.”
For Tickets Please Click Below :
Lighthouse International Film Festival – Long Beach Island, NJ (lighthouseff.com)
Lighthouse International Film Society will not be accepting individual donations for World Central Kitchen. To donate directly, visit https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine
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