Alberta’s Ukrainian community centre of movie debuting this weekend

VEGREVILLE, Alta. – A Vegreville-born and raised actor will make his directorial debut in a film shot in his central Alberta community this weekend.

They Who Surround Us is the story of an immigrant farmer in Vegreville, east of Edmonton, in 1987, who fled Ukraine as an eight-year-old boy in 1943.

Troy Ruptash says the project came as the result of a desire to learn about his ancestors.

“I wanted to put that up on the screen. I felt like you know, I’m so connected to, first of all, my maternal grandmother and I really wanted to convey it all, pay tribute to them, and to all the Ukrainians who came to Alberta,” he shared.


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He returned to his old stomping grounds from his new home in Los Angeles to pursue his passion project.

“What’s so remarkable about this one is that there was such a desire from the Ukrainian community to see themselves represented on screen. And so, it all came together really quickly.”


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The story focuses on the emotional grief his character faces after he loses his wife in a tragic accident forcing him to relive traumatic incidents from his childhood.

The film will be playing at Cineplex Eau Claire, as well as theatres in Edmonton and Vegreville.

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