A Brief History of the Project
Stand With Ukraine Through Film officially launched on March 13, 2022, with a screening of the 2014 Ukrainian film The Guide at an independent cinema in Salem MA. Response to the announcement of the Cinema Salem event was enthusiastic. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Congressman Seth Moulton and Salem Mayor Kin Driscoll were the headliners that evening, and the event quickly raised $12,000 for Ukraine relief.
Less than a week later, The Guide was rolling out to hundreds of cinemas across the U.S. and Canada. Soon thereafter, cinemas in Australia and The Netherlands made arrangements to show the film. As of now, about 700 cinemas have participated.
The March 13, 2022 debut followed two weeks of intense activity as the owner of Cinema Salem, Marshall Strauss, sought ways that the community theater he owned with his wife, Elaine Gerdine, could respond to the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine. Showing a film as a fundraiser was one obvious option. Strauss's initial inquiries and investigations suggested The Guide might be a good candidate for this purpose. The film had never been released in the U.S. or other Western countries.
On March 3, Strauss connected with Yuri Shevchuk, founder and director of the Ukrainian Film Club at Columbia University. Dr. Shevchuk confirmed that The Guide would be a good choice, and he immediately connected Strauss with the film’s director, Oles Sanin, who had chosen to remain in Kyiv as Russian tanks approached. Sanin agreed that Cinema Salem could screen the film as part of a fundraiser for Ukrainian relief. Sanin also arranged for Strauss and Cinema Salem to have a copy of the film in MP4 format.
Strauss asked Sanin if he could invite other cinemas in the U.S. to show the film under the same conditions being applied in Salem MA: All ticket proceeds would go to Ukraine relief. Sanin said yes.
US and Canadian Release
The next day, with the help of Brian Vita, co-owner of Total Cinema Solutions, Strauss met Howard Kiedaisch, CEO of Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition (DCDC) over a Zoom call. After only a few minutes of discussion, Kiedaisch offered to bring other film industry companies into the project to arrange a nationwide release of The Guide, gathering many of the marketing and distribution resources available to major studios. Within 48 hours, Kiedaich had assembled a team, consisting of DCDC, PaperAirplane , Falling Forward Films, Powster (part of Vista Group) and others, to prepare a release in less than two weeks, an unheard of pace for film distribution.
As good as their word, the team formally released The Guide to cinemas on Monday March 14, 2022, only one day after the initial screening at Cinema Salem. By that time, the project had taken on the name Stand With Ukraine Through Film. The team had converted the MP4 file to the digital format used almost universally in cinemas, created a new trailer, and launched a national publicity campaign. The film would be available to cinemas via DCDC’s satellite system or by delivery of a physical cassette.
By the close of business March 14, 400 cinemas in the U.S. and Canada had signed on to screen The Guide, starting the following Friday. The number grew steadily, reaching 600 by the official opening on Friday, March 18. Some cinemas elected to schedule single shows, others decided to screen the film for seven days. All agreed to the rule set by Sanin and Strauss, that all ticket proceeds go to Ukrainian relief.
The national publicity campaign quickly generated extensive coverage in scores of markets across the U.S. The Houston Chronicle captured the spirit of the project with the headline “Want to Support Ukraine by seeing a Movie? Here’s How.”
International Release
Inspired by the efforts of U.S. and Canadian cinemas, distributors and cinemas in other countries joined the project. Cinemas in The Netherlands stepped forward first, followed by cinemas in Australia. All agreed that ticket proceeds would go to Ukraine relief.
U.S. Universities and Other Venues
In 2023, the project expanded to include universities and similar educational organizations. Numerous schools in the US and other countries have played or have agreed to play the film.
Less than a week later, The Guide was rolling out to hundreds of cinemas across the U.S. and Canada. Soon thereafter, cinemas in Australia and The Netherlands made arrangements to show the film. As of now, about 700 cinemas have participated.
The March 13, 2022 debut followed two weeks of intense activity as the owner of Cinema Salem, Marshall Strauss, sought ways that the community theater he owned with his wife, Elaine Gerdine, could respond to the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine. Showing a film as a fundraiser was one obvious option. Strauss's initial inquiries and investigations suggested The Guide might be a good candidate for this purpose. The film had never been released in the U.S. or other Western countries.
On March 3, Strauss connected with Yuri Shevchuk, founder and director of the Ukrainian Film Club at Columbia University. Dr. Shevchuk confirmed that The Guide would be a good choice, and he immediately connected Strauss with the film’s director, Oles Sanin, who had chosen to remain in Kyiv as Russian tanks approached. Sanin agreed that Cinema Salem could screen the film as part of a fundraiser for Ukrainian relief. Sanin also arranged for Strauss and Cinema Salem to have a copy of the film in MP4 format.
Strauss asked Sanin if he could invite other cinemas in the U.S. to show the film under the same conditions being applied in Salem MA: All ticket proceeds would go to Ukraine relief. Sanin said yes.
US and Canadian Release
The next day, with the help of Brian Vita, co-owner of Total Cinema Solutions, Strauss met Howard Kiedaisch, CEO of Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition (DCDC) over a Zoom call. After only a few minutes of discussion, Kiedaisch offered to bring other film industry companies into the project to arrange a nationwide release of The Guide, gathering many of the marketing and distribution resources available to major studios. Within 48 hours, Kiedaich had assembled a team, consisting of DCDC, PaperAirplane , Falling Forward Films, Powster (part of Vista Group) and others, to prepare a release in less than two weeks, an unheard of pace for film distribution.
As good as their word, the team formally released The Guide to cinemas on Monday March 14, 2022, only one day after the initial screening at Cinema Salem. By that time, the project had taken on the name Stand With Ukraine Through Film. The team had converted the MP4 file to the digital format used almost universally in cinemas, created a new trailer, and launched a national publicity campaign. The film would be available to cinemas via DCDC’s satellite system or by delivery of a physical cassette.
By the close of business March 14, 400 cinemas in the U.S. and Canada had signed on to screen The Guide, starting the following Friday. The number grew steadily, reaching 600 by the official opening on Friday, March 18. Some cinemas elected to schedule single shows, others decided to screen the film for seven days. All agreed to the rule set by Sanin and Strauss, that all ticket proceeds go to Ukrainian relief.
The national publicity campaign quickly generated extensive coverage in scores of markets across the U.S. The Houston Chronicle captured the spirit of the project with the headline “Want to Support Ukraine by seeing a Movie? Here’s How.”
International Release
Inspired by the efforts of U.S. and Canadian cinemas, distributors and cinemas in other countries joined the project. Cinemas in The Netherlands stepped forward first, followed by cinemas in Australia. All agreed that ticket proceeds would go to Ukraine relief.
U.S. Universities and Other Venues
In 2023, the project expanded to include universities and similar educational organizations. Numerous schools in the US and other countries have played or have agreed to play the film.