The War Goes On: A conversation with Ukrainian writer, filmmaker, and activist Iryna Tsilyk
Community Event
Event Description
Born and raised in Kyiv, Iryna Tsilyk is an internationally recognized Ukrainian writer, filmmaker, and activist whose work explores war, crisis, and human resilience. Across eight books and her documentary and fiction films, she combines poignant storytelling with a poetic sensibility. Her documentary The Earth Is Blue as an Orange, about the war in Donbas, won a directing award at Sundance in 2020. Her first fiction feature, Rock. Paper. Grenade (2022), is based on a novel by her husband, Ukrainian writer Artem Chekh, who currently serves in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In 2023, she was awarded Ukraine’s highest cultural honour, the Shevchenko National Prize. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Tsilyk has volunteered in areas affected by the war, holding literary readings, film screenings, and children’s events. She serves as a cultural ambassador for Ukraine, contributing to media discussions, participating in literary and film festivals, and speaking at educational institutions across Europe and North America.
Event Location
Room 108N, Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine, University of Toronto
1 Devonshire Place
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 3K7
Resources