“I remain by your side. I am your brother.” Richard Gere addresses Ukrainians ahead of their Independence Day, reading a poem by Yurii Izdryk
Ukraine WOW, an NGO that engages global stars in supporting Ukraine, organized a shoot with Richard Gere in New York. The American actor, Golden Globe winner, and star of movies such as Pretty Woman and Hachi: A Dog’s Tale read Inny (The Other), a poem by Ukrainian poet Yurii Izdryk, translated by Roman Ivashkiv and Erin Moure.
“I’m speaking to you from New York, and I send you my very best wishes. Today I would like to read a poem by Ukrainian poet, Yurii Izdryk.
To all the people of Ukraine, to each and every one of you, I send my warmest greetings and express my full and unwavering support. Happy Independence Day, Ukraine! I remain by your side. I am your brother,” said Richard Gere.
Julia Solovey
and Yaroslava Gres
“We are grateful to Richard Gere for taking the time to film in New York, and for the beautiful way he pronounces the final line of Izdryk’s poem in Ukrainian. In the fifth year of the full-scale war, every voice that reminds the world about Ukraine matters enormously.
There is also a funny moment in this story. We had been working on this project with the actor’s team for quite some time, and until the very last moment, we did not know whether it would actually happen. Then, in June, an interview with Gere appeared on Latvian television, in which he mentioned that he was working on reading a poem by a Ukrainian poet. Ukrainian media later picked up the story as well. That was how we realized the project was confirmed.
We are grateful to everyone who made this possible, and especially to Ukrainian House in New York for becoming the perfect location for our shoot,” said Yaroslava Gres and Julia Solovey, Co-Founders of Ukraine WOW.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Poem: Yurii Izdryk
Translation: Roman Ivashkiv, Erin Moure
Project lead: Kateryna Rusanova
Communications: Renata Kazanska, Oleksandr Taran
Literature editor: Jabez Sherrington, Olena Konkova
US filming: Yuliia Kolodkina
Editing: Dmytro Koshyk
Special thanks: Ivan Malkovych, Ukrainian House in New York
Ukraine Wow