Exile / Izhoi / Pamiatai

Summer of 1941. A Jewish family flees from Nazi-occupied Kolomyia to the still peaceful Poltava region. It is here that the head of the family, Shymon, his wife Basia, and their children find temporary refuge. Here, they begin their new life, hoping to forget the horrors of the past. However, all their fears return when the Germans approach the village – catastrophe becomes inevitable.

Exile is one of the first Soviet films dedicated to the fate of Jews during World War II. The film not only focuses on their persecution by the Nazis but also on the attitudes of ordinary people towards them – the relationships between them, the wary reactions, and the constant status of “alien” that the Jewish people had to live with for centuries.

The film is based on Anatolii Dimarov’s novella Simon the Butcher. Director Volodymyr Saveliev was also the screenwriter and producer, managing to involve partners from Germany, Sweden, and the USA in the film’s production. The film was entirely shot in the village of Verhuny in the Khorol district, with local residents acting as extras.

The main role in the film was played by Israeli theater actor Yossi Pollak. The legendary Yurii Harmash, who filmed both directorial works of Ivan Mykolaichuk Babylon XX and Very Late Warm Autumn and who, being a native of the Poltava region, identified locations for the shooting of Exile.

Due to the collapse of the film distribution system in the early 90s, the film was virtually unseen in Ukraine. The film received more attention abroad. In 1993, the film won an Award for Best Actor at the San Remo Film Festival, after which it toured a dozen world film festivals. Only later was Exile shown on Ukrainian television.