Holocaust & Genocide Memorial Day Commemorative Event Event

About the Event

Southampton’s HMD event will take place in the Palmerston Lecture Theatre at Solent University on Wednesday 25 January from 6pm to 8pm (doors will open at 5.30pm). This event is hybrid (in-person and online), free, and all are welcome to attend. Those attending online will be sent joining details after registration.

The evening will feature a roundtable discussion with Professor Jeremy Hicks (Queen Mary University of London), Dr Markian Prokopovych (University of Durham), and Mr Graham Cole (Holocaust Education Trust and Parkes Honorary Fellow) on the theme of Holocaust by bullets and the ethical questions raised by Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa’s recent film Babi Yar. Context (2021). You will be able to opt-in to receive a link to watch this at home prior to the event at Solent University when registering for this event. This film will also be screened the day after the event (Thursday 26 January) at the University of Southampton at 6pm at Union Films, Building 42 (SUSU).

There will also be a reading of poems based on the Cambodian Genocide by students from Solent University. Southampton school pupils’ reflections from Outreach workshops will also be shared as part of the event. Refreshments will be available after the event concludes and attendees will be able to tour an exhibition and stalls featuring local community groups and charities related to HMD.

On Thursday 26 January at 6pm, the Phoenix Film society at Union Films will co-host a screening of Loznitsa’s film Babi Yar. Context . This screening is free to attend but, due to the nature of the film, it will be open to over 18s only. Those unable to attend the screening in-person will be offered the possibility to stream the film.

If you'd like to find out more about the 'Holocaust by bullets', the Babyn Yar massacre and our reflections on screening Babi Yar. Context , please see our blog post, 'Holocaust by Bullets: Historical and Ethical Questions' .

Order of Event

5:30-6pm: Arrival and refreshments (Atrium level)

6pm-7:30pm: Commemorative event in the Palmerston Lecture Theatre (Lower level, lift access available)

7:30-8pm: Tea and coffee reception (Atrium level)

Venue Information

Parking is available on-site as part of the East Park Terrace pay-to-park scheme (fees apply). More information can be found here .

Speaker Information

Professor Jeremy Hicks is Professor of Russian Culture and Film at Queen Mary University of London. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy as well as the Russian and Film subject editor for the Forum for Modern Language Studies. In 2012, Professor Hicks received the Association for Slavic Studies, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) Wayne S. Vucinich Prize for most important contribution to the field.

Dr Markian Prokopovych is an Associate Professor of Modern European Cultural History at the University of Durham. He specialises in the history of Eastern and Central Europe in the long nineteenth century. Dr Prokopovych is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and organises the annual conferences of the Urban History Group.

Mr Graham Cole is a Parkes Honorary Fellow and an educator for the Holocaust Education Trust, a charity which aims to educate young people of every background about the Holocaust. Graham has vast experience working with local Southampton schools, educating pupils about the Holocaust as part of the charity’s Outreach Programme.

Click here to view our HMD 2023 Press Release.