Videographer to preview his Orange Revolution documentary (08/21/05)

Videographer to preview his Orange Revolution documentary

by Andrew Nynka

NEW YORK - Documentary videographer Damian Kolodiy is currently at work editing footage he shot of the Orange Revolution from November 16, 2004, to January 25 of this year. The final product is expected to include a 50-minute film made for television and a 90-minute video that Mr. Kolodiy would like to submit to film festivals or use for educational purposes.

In the pivotal days of Ukraine's Orange Revolution, journalists flocked to Kyiv to cover events there, but few were on the ground prior to the November 21, 2004, runoff election between Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych.

Mr. Kolodiy landed in Kyiv five days before the runoff election and filmed as events there unfolded and culminated with Mr. Yushchenko's inauguration on January 23. His film captures what became massive protests of disenfranchised voters who took to Kyiv's streets in the weeks after the runoff vote to largely shut down business in the city.

However, Mr. Kolodiy's film also includes footage - interviews with youth activists and leaders, speeches by politicians and conversations with average citizens - during the days leading up to the revolution. Much of this footage, screened recently for The Ukrainian Weekly, shows a calm capital just hours prior to the historic event, though people seem certain that a revolution would unfold.

A trailer for the documentary, titled "Orange Chronicles," can be viewed at a website established to promote the film (www.orangechronicles.com).

An unfinished version of the documentary is scheduled to be screened at the Ukrainian National Association's Soyuzivka resort during the Labor Day weekend. Additionally, Mr. Kolodiy has also prepared a short video of several minutes which will be shown during Ukrainian Day at Giants Stadium on September 17.

Mr. Kolodiy, 28, is a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree with a major in communication (film concentration).

Mr. Kolodiy said he plans to finish the movie by the end of this year, to coincide with the first anniversary of the Orange Revolution, though he says without further funding he will have a difficult time meeting that deadline. He said he is currently looking for sponsors and would happily accept financial help.

Tax-deductible donations can be made by mailing checks, made out to the non-profit Educational Rukh Foundation, a supporter of Mr. Kolodiy's work, to 30 South Crescent, Maplewood, NJ 07040. For further information, readers may contact Mr. Kolodiy by e-mail at [email protected].

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