Authors

Discussion

One of the first Russian films to depict the devastating realities of the Volga (Povolzhye) famine was Remember the Starving, released in September 1921 and later distributed by the Norwegian explorer and famine relief advocate Fridtjof Nansen. Serving as both documentary evidence and humanitarian appeal, the film played a crucial role in mobilizing transnational relief networks within just a few months of its release. Images of suffering—circulated through brochures, letters, and international news outlets—helped generate a wave of global compassion and action. 

Today, the Volga famine is widely recognized as a formative moment in the history of postwar international humanitarianism, particularly in shaping famine-related relief efforts. Yet, the visual culture surrounding this catastrophe—and its enduring impact on how subsequent Soviet famines, such as the Holodomor, were perceived-remains understudied. 

This paper examines the “humanitarian euphoria” produced by the visual representation of the 1921-1922 famine and explores how these early humanitarian aesthetics influenced the Soviet narrative of famine, memory, and suffering in the decades that followed.