Ukrainian boxers have boosted the nation’s image, from Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, the champion brothers, to rising stars like Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk. Now, Ukrainian boxers are helping another area: Ukrainian cinema.
The first ever Ukrainian sports action film “Fight Rules,” which hit Ukrainian screens on Jan. 26, is the acting debut for Usyk.
“Even though my role in the film is small, it’s just the beginning,” Usyk said, adding that he’d like to do more films if he has time. “In Hollywood, of course!”
“Fight Rules,” with a reported budget of $500,000, tells the story of boxer Taras (played by Vlad Nikitiuk), who earns a living with street fights. When his mother is struck by a serious disease and needs money for surgery, Taras decides to go into illegal fighting without rules, where he quickly rises to stardom.
Taras is then forced to substitute his sparring partner Oleg (played by Ievhen Halych, the lead singer of popular Ukrainian rock band O. Torvald) in a fight against a strong boxer, Deser (played by Serhiy Zhitnikovsky).
The World Boxing Organization champion Oleksandr Usyk, for whom “Fight Rules” was an acting debut, said this role might mark the beginning of his acting career. (Hanna Beshkenadze)
Inviting Usyk to star in the film was a spontaneous decision, according to film director Oleksiy Shaparev. “In the film script we had ‘a famous boxer’ written,” Shaparev said at the premiere. “The film executive producer suggested we ask Usyk as he recently shot an ad with him.”
Usyk liked the offer immediately.
Zhitnikovsky, who played Deser in the film and who reportedly stages boxing scenes in Hollywood films, says he even got a chance to take some tips from the boxer in training at Bukovel, just days before Usyk’s September fight against Krzysztof Glowacki.
“Usyk gave me some advice that I later used in the film,” Zhitnikovsky said at the premiere in Kyiv on Jan. 20. “I wanted to show the Ukrainian school of boxing, some techniques used here have become well-known across the globe.”
The slogan of the film, “Your spirit is your weapon,” promotes the idea that human values should be higher than physical and material things.
“The protagonist has the rules of friends and fairness. He chooses friends over his own life,” Shaparev said. “We wanted to create ‘a hero of our times,’ a hero that’s not just one color, because everyone has black, white and every other color in them.”
“Fight Rules” is also set to appear in a number of other countries in the world soon. (Hanna Beshkenadze)
A four-series TV version of “Fight Rules” will appear on Ukrainian TV channel ICTV in mid-summer 2017. The TV version will cover some of the areas that were not explained in the film and answer some questions.
The soundtracks of the film “Fight Rules” were all made by Ukrainian artists, something that the movie production team feels proud about. Bands O. Torvald, Boombox, The Hardkiss, Detach and rapper Yarmak were among the artists to feature their songs.
O. Torvald’s Halych highlighted the importance of creating an entirely Ukrainian product.
“In my opinion, it is the first film worthy wide release in Ukraine,” he said at the premiere. “Fight Rules” is also set to appear in a number of other countries in the world soon. Some 15 countries were interested in bringing the film to their theaters. The producers are now working on dubbing and subtitles.
Actor Oleksiy Horbunov (L), director of the film Oleksiy Shaparev and actor Stanislav Boklan talk backstage. (Hanna Beshkenadze)
Global distribution of “Fight Rules” will open new horizons for Ukrainian cinema industry, according to Shaparev, the director.
“If we don’t open up global markets for Ukrainian cinema it will simply not survive,” he said. “International market is not very fond of newcomers but we try to attract them with our professional team.”
The film’s team feels good about its international perspectives.
“Ukrainian cinema is in good hands,” one of “Fight Rules” stars, a prominent Ukrainian actor Stanislav Boklan said. “Maybe we don’t show or talk about this enough, but we have very talented people in Ukraine.”
