Locals celebrate 'Women of Maidan' filmmaker Olha Onyshko

Before Olha Onyshko, a native of Ukraine, could premiere her film at Selby Public Library, some local Ukrainian-American women took her in as their own.

On March 13, Longboater Anisa Mycak, with Oksana Bashuk Hepburn and Romana Rainey hosted a lunch in honor of Onyshko to promote her film, “Women of Maidan.” About 16 other women, almost all of Ukrainian descent, attended the luncheon as well. 

The 66-minute documentary, which won "Best Documentary" at the Fort Myers Film Festival, describes the role women played in the 2013-2014 Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine. The revolution began small, as a student demonstration to demand pro-European Union foreign policy and to protest pro-Moscow agreements, but quickly gained international attention.

The demonstrations took place mainly on Maidan Square in Kiev. The two-month long vigil attended by thousands, many of whom were women, ultimately focused attention on human-rights violations, including laws that banned public assembly and free speech and the arrests and killings of demonstrators, Onyshko said.

And while Onyshko said the movie is about women’s key role in the revolution, luncheon guest Luda Murphy said it’s just as much about the actual revolution. Murphy found through the film that people shouldn’t assume they won’t make a difference.

“Each individual is definitely a part of it and makes a difference,” she said. “Each person gives support to another.”