'Bitter Harvest' Trailer: Love in the Time of Holodomor (Exclusive)

Considered one of the most overlooked tragedies of the 20th century, the Holodomor (also known as the Great Famine) killed somewhere between 2.5 and 10 million Ukrainians in 1931-32. Although the cause of the devastating famine has long been a source of global debate, it’s widely believed to be a genocide orchestrated by the Stalin-ruled Soviet Union against Ukraine’s population.

Now, the Holodomor serves as the backdrop for the sweeping new romantic epic Bitter Harvest. (Watch the exclusive trailer above.) And the film makes no secret where it stands on the issue of the Holodmor’s cause: “Ukraine must be taught to bow to our will,” a Russian official says in the preview’s opening moments. When told such efforts could kill millions, Stalin (Gary Oliver) replies coldly, “Who in the world will know?”

We see the effects of the famine through the eyes of Yuri (Max Irons), a recently engaged artist whose land is seized and who becomes a key figure in the resistance against the Soviet oppressors. Fueling Yuri’s fire is not only his deep love for his country but also his deep love for the beautiful Natalka (Les Misérables breakout Samantha Barks), whom he must leave to join the fight and eventually escape imprisonment to save from starvation.

Directed by George Mendeluk from an original screenplay by Richard Bachynsky Hoover, Bitter Harvest also features Barry Pepper, Terence Stamp, and Tamer Hassan. The film opens Feb. 24.