Registration REQUIRED by 4pm on March 25, 2026 in order to attend this event.
Please join the Ukrainian Studies Program at the Harriman Institute for a screening of “Rock, Paper, Grenade,” followed by a discussion with director Iryna Tsilyk. Moderated by Mark Andryczyk.
This screening and discussion opens the conference 1990s Ukraine: Undertaken Initiatives & Squandered Opportunities. The screening will be followed by a reception.
“Rock, Paper, Grenade” (Ukrainian: Ya i Feliks) is a critically acclaimed 2022 Ukrainian coming-of-age drama film directed by Iryna Tsilyk. It is based on the semi-autobiographical novel “Who Are You?” (also translated as Rock, Paper, Grenade) by Ukrainian author and soldier Artem Chekh.
Set in the turbulent 1990s of post-Soviet Ukraine, the story follows a boy named Tymophii as he grows up in the city of Cherkasy. His life is fundamentally changed when his grandmother brings home a new partner, Felix, a veteran of the Soviet-Afghan War suffering from severe PTSD and alcoholism.
Iryna Tsilyk (born 1982 in Kyiv) is a Ukrainian filmmaker, writer and screenwriter. She is the director of the award-winning documentary film “The Earth is Blue as an Orange” (2020) which won the “Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary” at 2020 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the 2023 Shevchenko National Prize and many other prestigious awards. Tsilyk is also known for the documentary project “Invisible Battalion” (2017) about Ukrainian women at war and the feature film “Rock Paper Grenade” (2022) based on the novel “Who Are You?” by a Ukrainian novelist Artem Chekh. At the moment, Iryna Tsilyk is working on a full-length animated docudramedy “Red Zone” which is being co-produced by Ukraine, France, and Luxembourg. In addition, Iryna Tsilyk is the author of various books (poetry, prose, children’s books) published in Ukraine and abroad. Some of her texts have been translated into several languages and presented in various international publications, literary festivals and events. During the war years, Iryna is also actively engaged in cultural diplomacy, speaking publicly at various venues and universities/colleges in Europe and the USA. Moreover, in recent years, Iryna has been writing essays and columns for various international magazines and newspapers, including Weekendavisen (Denmark), FAZ and TAZ (Germany), Republik (Switzerland), Aftenposten (Norway), Dwutygodnik and Sestry (Poland) and many others.
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