Ripley’s Heroes, a nonprofit organization that provides critically needed non-lethal and humanitarian resources to qualified and experienced heroes who have interrupted their own lives, announced today that, Ripley’s Heroes Founder, and NY times best-selling co-author, Lt. Col. H. Ripley (“Rip”) Rawlings IV (ret.), will speak  after the U.S. premiere of a new documentary film Chopin: I am not Afraid of Darkness at the theater. Afterwards, Lt. Col. Rawlings will meet and greet guests and speak more in depth at the reception dinner for the premiere to help fundraise for Ripley’s Heroes and the Sok Foundation in Warsaw Poland.

In an eerie echo of the title of a new Polish-Korean documentary film production, “Chopin: I am not Afraid of Darkness,” we just heard Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy’ say to his people on October 28, 2002, “We are not afraid of darkness. The darkest times for us are not the times without light, but those without will…. We know that the darkest night becomes the dawn.”

The premiere film screening of Chopin: I am not Afraid of Darkness in the USA will be on Saturday, November 5, 2002, at Hawthorne Theater in Hawthorne, NJ at 4:30 PM. A charity dinner reception will follow nearby at 7:00 PM at Due Fratelli restaurant. The film can be attended separately from the reception, or a package film and reception ticket can be purchased at buytickets.at/vatralegersky/777946.

In the film, Chopin: I am not Afraid of Darkness, three pianists prepare concerts in places associated with conflict and unimaginable suffering, where no one would expect to hear live music:

• Poland – at Auschwitz Concentration Camp
• South Korea – on a bridge with the authoritarian North Korean border (DMZ)
• Lebanon – in Beirut city center

The film takes the viewer on a cinematic journey through these unique and sinister sceneries, while weaving together the stories of these outstanding musicians – one a Pole, another Korean, and the third a Syrian immigrant who is half Polish.

“Music can transform things. You can heal yourself with music. Music can bring peace….” Will Chopin’s music have the power to bring healing in these places affected by war and suffering? We invite you on an extraordinary journey to places related to the dark side of our world. Let’s not let history repeat itself…  View the Trailer of Chopin: I am not Afraid of Darkness: https://youtu.be/1dNcSCe8wpI

For more information about Chopin: I am not afraid of Darkness USA premiere visit buytickets.at/vatralegersky/777946.

The Sok Foundation in Warsaw, Poland helps children, especially in foster care. Once the war in Ukraine began, they focused all their efforts on supporting refugee children evacuated from Odesa’s orphanages. SOK runs two large-scale programs training educators on 1) how to provide mental and psychosocial support (MHPSS), 2) to teach Polish as a foreign language so Ukrainian children can feel secure and thrive in Poland for however long they will stay.

The Kosciuszko Foundation provides logistical support for fundraising in the United States for the Sok Foundation and has helped the promoter of the film in the United States, Vatra Legersky, set up a GoFundMe drive at https://www.gofundme.com/f/sok-foundation-recipe-for-independence

To find out how you can support Ripley’s Heroes visit www.RipleysHeroes.org.

Chopin: I am not Afraid of Darkness received a 59th Golden Prague International Television Festival award at the end of September 2022. Its world premiere was in Warsaw, Poland on October 28, 2022, and will screen in many Polish cities through the 22nd of November. It screens in Malta on November 1 and November 11, 2022, as well as in Tokyo, Japan on the 22nd and 26th of the November. Future screenings in North America are being planned. The film was co-financed by the Polish National Foundation, official partner of the producers in Warsaw, Inbornmedia.

Upon request, Vatra Legersky can provide a full preview of the film online, press pass tickets to the premiere screening, pressbooks, images, Q&A sheet with the director, and recently published coverage of the film at other recent premieres in English.

About Vatra Legersky a division of R.E.M. Legery

Vatra Legersky seeks to build a network of thought leaders, organizations, and businesses that connects the United States with Central and Eastern Europe through cultural, social, educational, and sustainable economic ties.