First of all, Yevgeny Gorokhov, the DPR Minister of Education and Science, thanked the Russian delegation for the much-needed project and pointed out its importance. “Everyone loves movies, but movies are different. The movies brought by our guests from St. Petersburg contribute to children’s education; they are culturally and spiritually valuable. I am sure that our pupils will appreciate them. The project is amazing; many thanks to everyone who implements it!” emphasized the Minister.
Victor Merkulov, the head of the project Movie Lessons in Russian Schools told about its main tasks. “The idea has evolved from the high role of art and, in particular, cinematography in the formation of personality.We believe that it is very important in modern conditions to indoctrinate the eternal values to children. It is known that children are the base on which the future is built. Movie lessons provide an opportunity for systematic work on the education of schoolchildren from the 1st to the 11th grades,” he said.
Yelena Dubrovskaya, the director of INTELROST, film director and screenwriter of the project, noted that each of the movies is dedicated to one universal concept that includes kindness, conscience, honor, justice, etc. Out of the 18 films brought to the Donetsk People’s Republic, the first nine are made by the project’s authors on their own. The rest have appeared thanks to the funds from the collection of waste paper by Russian pupils who participate in the charity event Movie Ecology held under the motto: “Collect waste paper and make a movie.”
Yelena Dubrovskaya and Victor Merkulov presented the project in Donetsk school No 63, where two movies saw their premieres. The event was attended by Andrei Udovenko, the Deputy Minister of Education and Science; employees of the Ministry of Education and Science; Yulia Romanenko, acting Director of Donetsk Republican Institute for Continuing Teacher Training; educational supervisors, teachers and students of school No 63, as well as other teachers of the DPR.
While presenting their project, the authors noted that their main task has been solved due to cooperation with children, who have become co-authors and actors of the short movies made in all regions of the Russian Federation. The movies suggested for viewing at school No 63 – Horse for the Hero and This is an Honor! – evoked a huge emotional response from the audience, with tears in the eyes of both children and adults. Simple stories commemorating children of the Great Patriotic War and honoring contemporary cadets appeared to be unusually close and understandable to the young spectators.
The authors of the project offered the students of the Donetsk People’s Republic to become participants of the All-Russian action and make a movie based on the real facts and the difficult fates of children in the war-scorched Donbass, because after all the sad events children of the Republic have their word to say. “We will definitely make this movie. It will be wonderful, and we hope that peace will come to our land. For the sake of this, we are fighting and striving to turn the tragic events into history. Above all, we want this world to be kind, bright, beautiful, and children never know the troubles and war,” said Andrei Udovenko, the Deputy Minister of Education and Science.
The participants of the meeting enjoyed the performance of the vocal group Lik (Image) from the Donetsk Republican Children and Youth Palace.
It should be noted that during the meeting the DPR representatives exchanged experience with the INTELROST members. Yevgeny Gorokhov acquainted guests with the schoolbooks on Regional Studies Through History, compiled by the DPR teachers for grades 5-11. The manuals were highly appreciated by the quests; Yelena Dubrovskaya shared her impressions, “These amazing books are necessary for children to grow up true people.”
