Ukrainian Film Days provide chance to show solidarity — ambassador

AMMAN — Ukraine’s Ambassador to Jordan Myroslava Shcherbatiuk said that the films shown in the Ukrainian Film Days were the “easiest way not only to deliver the story, but also to invoke emotions, thoughts, feelings and traditional values common to any culture and any religion”.  

The event, held earlier this month, was met with great audience acclaim as “the first event of its kind in Jordan”, consisting of three Ukrainian films: Homeward, The Stolen Princess and The Stronghold, shown on three consecutive days between July 4 and 6 at Jordan’s Royal Film Commission (RFC). 

The project represented Ukrainian filmmakers and facilitated the “promotion of cultural ties between both countries”, the ambassador told The Jordan Times in a recent interview. 

She added that more “efficient and friendly” cooperation is underway with the RFC, with “Jordanian filmmakers welcomed to visit Ukraine”. 

Ahmad, a 26-year-old “film enthusiast” who preferred to go by his first name, told The Jordan Times after the event that “some cultural aspects have to be shown in the native language to be understood”, stressing the importance of showing original language films with subtitles. 

Two of the three films shown were targeted towards children, with the RFC and the Ukrainian embassy aiming to “address the interests of our kids and promote family values”, said the ambassador. 

The films showed “aspects of our film industry and our production as well as appealed to different audiences”, she added. 

The event allowed the Ukrainian community in Amman to come together, noted the ambassador. 

“I am very happy that the Jordanian public can see these films so that they can see that we are the same; the same problems, the same tragedies,” she added. 

Ahmad noted that the film days are “a nice way of bringing solidarity with Ukraine to Amman, and any refugees here will know that they have found a home”. 

The ambassador noted that it was the right timing to “show our films” and to bring awareness to the tragedy. 

The Ukrainian community in Jordan has been very active since the Russian-Ukrainian war, noted the ambassador, adding that she is “very encouraged with the support and sympathy that I receive everyday from Jordanians” and that it is “very important to show that we have common values, about love, about compassion”. 

The third film, The Stronghold, closed the film days with the main character saying that “on this land which has always been ours we live and breathe”, a statement that “reflected the fact that compassion for Jordanians is one of the values that are the basis of nationhood and statehood”, the ambassador said.