Ukraine

Watch LULLABY OF UKRAINE, 3min., Ukraine, Documentary/Music/Experimental (new film on the platform)

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Watch Film Here:  https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/watch-lullaby-of-ukraine

Dedicated to the Children of Ukraine, victims of the brutal Russian invasion… Let everyone ask themselves and the leaders of their countries: what else has to happen, what arguments are needed that Ukraine is finally given the necessary military aid for Victory?

Director Biography – Alexander Sparinsky
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Composer, Musicologist, Producer, the author of music of more than 55 shows, performances, festivities, entertainment programmes, musicals, 37 films (incl. animation), more than 150 songs (for children; choral, pop, rock, folk, etc), 196 instrumental pieces, author of a lot of articles and documentaries devoted to music, musicians and culture. Producer of a range of the Best Ukrainian acts, shows, and artists.

Director Statement
People who have been staying in Kyiv and are not going anywhere, they are called people-roots lighthouse people, anchor people. We support our city, and the city supports us. We are his heart and his soul. Kyiv reciprocates us. We will simply die without him, and we will die without us.
Someone said that art helps us to live in the hours of peace, and in the hours of war – to survive. So, without looking at the explosions and air raid sirens, we create music and movies; write scripts and pictures, and visit theaters, cafes and museums. We must help everyone we can. We live. We are all needed. Everyone is in their place. There are no extras people. Just find a place for yourself and it will be easier for you. The author of this project, being in Ukraine from the first day of the brutal invasion, like many other people of art, each in our own way, we continue to participate in the social and creative life of the country, trying, to the extent of our own strength and capabilities, to be useful in achieving great the goal is to defeat the invader.

http://www.sparinsky.kiev.ua/

Short Film Review: YOU ARE SPECIAL. 18min., Ukraine

festreviews Movie Review, Short Film Movie Review

Directed by Ilya Noyabrev

A little boy, fascinated by the legend that the white keys on the old Steinway piano, which “lives” in his parents’ house, are made of elephant tusks, dreams every night of meeting the gray giants one day and never being separated from them…This desire grows from day to day along with the lullaby that his mother sings to him, because there are words in it: “You are special!”

Review by Andie Karvelis:

What an intriguing tale the filmmakers came up with, it really captures your attention and draws you in. We start with a little boy fascinated by the ivory keys on a Steinway piano in his home. He believes that the majestic elephants willingly shed their tusks to create the piano keys. A child’s innocence and imagination are second to none. HIs mother is a musician and she wants nothing more than her son to grow up and be a musician. So each night she sings to him a very special lullaby.


One of the things I really loved was how the filmmakers used a gaussian blur on the footage to give it that memory/dream feel. The colors were vibrant and yet everything was just slightly out of focus to simulate memories. The voice over was perfectly paced and had nice emotion and inflection. The music was beautiful but anytime you have dialogue being said over sung lyrics it’s going to pull your focus and make it hard to understand what to pay attention to.


As we transition into the present, the cinematographer gave us desaturated tones and a crisp picture. We meet the little boy, now an adult. He is not the musician his mother wanted him to be and he admits this to us. The areas where he addressed the camera and spoke directly to the audience was a fascinating choice and it worked. As the film progressed, it became less and less desaturated and more colors started to come in when he moved that Steinway piano to a local bar and played for them.


The story was very well told and engaging. The leading actor did a marvelous job in the voiceover and on camera. His performance was believable and organic. The choice to end the film on the lullaby was great because it had everything come full circle