My Mother’s Village (2001)

Director John Paskievich explores the lasting effects of exile in this documentary, traveling between Canada and Ukraine to examine the human experience of displacement across generations. Nearly fifty years after his family immigrated to Canada, Paskievich returns to his parents' homeland, a place both familiar and unfamiliar. Reflecting on his upbringing in Winnipeg, he investigates the challenges faced by children of refugees and immigrants who navigate a life between two cultures – striving to build a new life while preserving traditions from a distant past. Paskievich’s journey connects with the stories of other Ukrainian Canadians, including authors George Melnyk and Fran Ponomarenko, filmmaker Bohdana Bashuk, director Halya Kuchmij, and dancer Lecia Polujan. Through a blend of personal memories and historical context, *My Mother's Village* reveals the humor, anger, joy, and complexities of living between borders.