In 2023, the crew at Lindisfarne productions had the honour of working in collaboration with Kalyna Somchynsky, the Alberta Local and International Education Association (ALIEA) and Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre (URDC) to produce the short documentary Myrna Kostash: Here.
This short documentary celebrates renowned creative nonfiction writer Myrna Kostash’s extensive career and her ongoing dedication to exploring the complex relationships that shape our identities and the places we call home.
Myrna Kostash is a celebrated Edmonton author of literary and creative nonfiction inspired by her childhood in the Ukrainian-Canadian community, her rites of passage through the Sixties, her rediscovery of her western Canadian roots in the 1980s, her return to her spiritual sources in Byzantium and the Eastern Christian (Orthodox) Church, and by her re-education in the history of Indigenous and Settler relations in Western Canada. She is the author of works such as All of Baba’s Children and Bloodlines: A Journey Into Eastern Europe. Her most recent work, Ghosts in a Photograph, was honoured with the Kobzar Book Award, which recognizes Ukrainian stories in Canada.
Our team interviewed Myrna herself, gaining a front row seat to her own story and perspectives. We also interviewed several of Myrna’s contemporaries about the impact she has had in her career. Full interviews with Myrna, George Melnyk, Naomi McIlwraith, and Tom Radford may be viewed here.
Myrna kindly shared her many insights as well as photos and articles from her life and career. She also allowed us to tag along on a trip to Two Hills, Alberta; a place that played a significant role in her evolution as a writer.
The film premiered on October 13, 2023.
The full film can be viewed here. Included is a version with Ukrainian subtitles and an ASL version.
You may view Lindisfarne’s other short documentary work here.