Screening and Discussion of Serhiy Bukovsky’s Documentary Spell Your Name

On September 29, as part of the commemorative program marking the 84th anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy, the Living Memory exhibition center hosted a screening and discussion of Serhiy Bukovsky’s documentary Spell Your Name.

Before the film, director Serhiy Bukovsky addressed the audience in a recorded message, emphasizing the importance of preserving memory and the uniqueness of the survivor testimonies on which the film is based.

Spell Your Name is ranked 40th in the list of the 100 greatest Ukrainian films. The documentary was co-produced by world-renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg and draws on Holocaust testimonies collected in Ukraine by the USC Shoah Foundation.

Following the screening, a discussion was held with historian and Babyn Yar researcher Yurii (Amir) Radchenko and filmmaker and program director of the Living Memory film club Oleksiy Radynsky. They reflected on the film’s creation, Spielberg’s involvement, and the individual stories that shape the documentary.

“Spell Your Name is not only a work of cinema, but also a unique document of memory. Through the personal stories of those who endured the tragedy, we share in their experience and keep the memory alive,” noted the participants.

The event was both a powerful reminder of the need to safeguard memory and an opportunity to reflect on how remembrance helps prevent the recurrence of such tragedies.

The National Historical and Memorial Reserve Babyn Yar expresses its gratitude to the Kinoklub: All-Ukrainian Network for making the screening possible.

📷 Photo: Ruslan Synhaievskyi

Ongoing Exhibition

The Living Memory exhibition center on the grounds of Babyn Yar currently hosts the international exhibition “State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda,” developed in cooperation with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The exhibition demonstrates how words and images—from newspaper headlines and posters to large-scale installations—gradually prepared the ground for the crimes of the Holocaust and legitimized the Nazis’ war of annihilation.

📍 Address: Living Memory Exhibition Center, 46A Yurii Illienko Street, Kyiv
🗓 Dates: September 28 – December 31, 2025
⏰ Hours:
Mon–Fri: 10:00–19:00
Sat–Sun: 11:00–18:00
🎟 Free admission