Join us for the U.S. Premiere of People of Steel, a new documentary showcasing the heroic defense of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, with a film talk by director Serhiy Fomenko.

The war in the Ukraine began in 2014 after the victory of the Ukrainians in the Revolution of Dignity. After the subsequent annexation of Crimea and the occupation of parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, Russia started a long and brutal war against the sovereign state, framed as “civil conflict” under Russian propaganda. In February 2022, Putin made an announcement on a special operation on denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine, which was followed by large-scale missile attacks by the Russian federation: on targets of civilian infrastructure, airborne landings, infantry, artillery and tanks, and sabotage groups. The attack on the capital of Ukraine, the city of Kyiv, caused great human casualties — as did attacks on Irpin, Bucha, Kherson, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Chernihiv, and others.

In the true story of Ukrainian People of Steel, Mariupol — an industrial strategic port city in the southeast of Ukraine—became the site of one of the bloodiest and most brutal battles of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Defending the city was the Mariupol garrison, which consisted of the special unit of “Azov,” including soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine, marine brigades, board guards, police officers, volunteers from the Territorial Defense and paramedics. Through interviews with these regiment members and footage of the battles, filmmaker Serhiy Fomenko tells their story.

Limited seats are available; RSVP to guarantee attendance.

This program is co-presented with the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations, and the “Watch Ukrainian!” Association.