Grateful Acknowledgements

September 2024
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has destroyed almost 500 historical museums, library archives and cultural institutions. So I must continue moving forward with this film project. The scope has grown far beyond my original intentions (in 2019) of writing a book and launching a web channel to preserve and pass forward our family's remaining knowledge of Slavic forestry. When I reunited ties with remaining family in Ukraine, I also connected with something ancient, and deeply within myself, that my grandfather had tried to impress on me through his oral storytelling.

Western forestry science is expressed through academic journals and documentaries. However, the Slavic wisdom of the forest is non-linear and of quantum nature. It is expressed through the oral tradition of storytelling. This makes my task more difficult since an oral storyteller must weave magic to captivate the hearts and minds of a sizable number of people - enough people today to support the expenses of film production.

I was reluctant to move in this direction until 2023, when a serendipitous series of events and encounters placed me firmly on this path. I express my first thanks to Tom Koroluk, Nicole Loewen, Sergey Kravets and Olesya Gaevaya for their insight and encouragement I needed to return to my ancestral roots as an oral storyteller of Slavic forest wisdom. Its been another year of intense research, translation and writing.

I must express my gratitude towards a large number of people and organizations these past five years. If I've missed a name here,  I'll plead this is a writer's draft under a time crunch, so additions will follow in the next revision.

Tatyana Shelemy thanks so much for your help! I'm fortunate to have a cousin in Ukraine who is a research historian and archeologist. Special thanks to the Ihor & Nadia Boichuk family for your hospitality and Natalia for translation as I explored Ukraine. Father Walter Klimchuk, our conversations have revealed you're a gifted Slavic mystic. All my tree clients over the years - thanks for your patience as I juggle between research, writing, film pre-production and outdoor work. Dorothy Dobbie for your enthusiasm and encouragement as I count my pocket change and worry about finding financial supporters. Finally (of course!) a most special thanks to my Mom for all the little things you do - to compensate my fruitless search for an executive assistant.

Screenwriting is a storyteller's shorthand for story writing. The best storytellers capture hearts and enchant minds.    ;-)

Guy Harry Shelemy
Writer/Producer