Portland-Lviv Sister City Association

10/17/2026

As we continue to read and discuss "The Enchanted Desna" by Ukrainian director Oleksandr Dovzhenko, we will have an opportunity to see a new Ukrainian film based on his life. Ukrainian Films USA will be screening "Dovzhenko: First Sight" in Portland on November 4th. The movie is in Ukrainian with English subtitles.

"Ukrainian Odesa, 1926: a city recovering from the war, a city where jazz sounds and cinema is born. Young artist Sashko Dovzhenko seeks freedom in art - and stumbles upon a system that does not forgive dreams. His first film may be his last. And he does not yet know that soon his name will be known to the whole world."

There is only one screening and the tickets usually sell out, so we recommend you get them early. The movie has already been in theatres in Ukraine and has received good reviews.

A closer look at the life of the legendary Ukrainian filmmaker.

10/10/2026

Happy Saturday! Lviv Latte at Just Bob--great start to any weekend.

10/03/2026

The flag of the City of Portland at the Львівська обласна бібліотека для юнацтва ім. Романа Іваничука/Lviv Regional Youth Library.
Our thanks to Darka Dusty to taking the flag of the City of Portland to Lviv in September 2025 and to Eric Kozsyk for taking the picture in October 2026 in Lviv. We are grateful for Portlanders like Darka and Eric who travel to Lviv as volunteers with different projects and help strengthen ties between our two cities and our two countries.
Thank you!

09/30/2026

Warm welcome to our new Board member--Darka Dusty Stebivka!

Exploring the Connection Between Portland and Lviv in Darka's own words:
"I was born in Detroit to Ukrainian parents, and Ukraine—its language, music, culture and history—has been woven through my entire life. I grew up understanding what “Freedom for Ukraine” meant, and have spent much of my life at rallies and demonstrations, speaking up for things I believe in. After living in Detroit, New York and London, I made Portland my home in 2005 and loved finding a city whose people were equally unafraid to tell it like it is. That spirit feels very Ukrainian to me—and very Lviv. Beyond our great coffee, parks, music, art and fiercely individual personalities, Portland and Lviv share something deeper: engaged citizens who care passionately about their cities and aren't afraid to make themselves heard. I hope to help turn that shared spirit into real, person-to-person connections through music, art, photography and storytelling."

09/25/2026

New Europe Book Club reads books by Ukrainian and other Eastern European authors in English translation. We are always happy to learn of more books being translated into English. Please let us know if you would be interested in adding any of these titles to our reading list in 2027.

09/23/2026

More pictures from the Rose Bed dedication ceremony at the International Rose Test Garden!
Thank you, Royal Rosarians, for taking these pictures at the ceremony

Rose Dedication in International Rose Test Garden in WA Park. Contact Kevin Murphy for original image (large file size).