Those who never made it to the last summer's grand show by the legendary Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy have a chance to see what they missed. The show has been turned into a movie.
The movie version of the concert that took place at Olympic Stadium in Kyiv on June 21 and gathered a record 75,000 fans was produced by British filmmaker Andy Horner and Ukrainian media company Film.ua.
The show, called “Okean Elzy – 20 Years Together,” was the band’s way to celebrate its birthday on stage. It is the first Ukrainian music show to be produced in a movie and run in theaters.
To capture the show, filmmakers had to use 17 cameras at once. The efforts paid off. The screen version gives a feeling of presence, but it also provides the experience that the concert-goers didn’t have – like a bird’s eye view of the crowd, or close-ups of the fine details on stage, such as a patriotic sticker on a keyboard.
To make a 1.5-hour cinema version of a three-hour long show, Horner had to choose 20 songs.
“It is the first time I saw my concert from without, and I have to admit I like it,” Okean Elzy frontman Svyatoslav Vakarchuk told journalists after the preview screening in Kyiv on Feb. 23.
Vakarchuk has been quite busy lately with his solo tour “Vnochi” (“At Night”). It’s March 18 show in Kyiv is already almost sold out. Still, the frontman finds energy for charity and volunteer work.
“All our projects, including this film, have a charity component. Part of the revenue from this screening and “Vnochi” tour goes to the Military Medical Center in Lviv,” Vakarchuk said.
His personal contribution to the hospital that treats injured Ukrainian soldiers will be Hr 500,000, according to Vakarchuk. But the hospital needs much more – some Hr 1.5 billion for equipment.
Okean Elzy has been known for its patriotism. One of the songs that made it into the film version of the show is the ballad “Na Linii Vognyu” (“On the Front Line”), dedicated to the fallen heroes of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Okean Elzy was founded in Lviv. Its popularity grew quickly in Ukraine and abroad. Vakarchuk is the only original member left. For the anniversary show, the original members joined Vakarchuk on stage and performed several songs.
After showing the film, the band went for a short tour in the U.S. that includes a show in New York on Feb. 28, with the tickets selling for up to $300, and in Chicago on March 1 with prices up to $125.
The “OE 20. Live in Kyiv” hit theaters on Feb. 26. The ticket prices vary from Hr 40-100.
Kyiv Post staff writer Yuliana Romanyshyn can be reached at [email protected].
