There’s no reason to miss out on Ukrainian music shows, cinema and art while staying home under quarantine due to the novel coronavirus. In fact, it may be the best time to catch up.
There are services that stream Ukrainian movies and art exhibitions that have online versions. And some Ukrainian music artists are announcing online shows almost every day.
Here is the list of such services and upcoming shows, updated daily.
Shows
Friday, April 3
- Quarantine Live by Slukh – Hamerman Znyschuye Virusy: ourtragesly fun and flamboyant, the freak duo from Sumy will perform their techno punk live for the benefit of humanity. Their name translates as “Hamerman Destroys Viruses” after all.
Quarantine Live by Slukh – Hamerman Znyschuye Virusy (techno punk, drum and bass). 8 p.m. https://youtu.be/qqM5A8XSjf4.
Tuesday, March 31
- Quarantine Live by Slukh – Tvorchi: the electronic duo based in Ternopil and finalists of Ukraine’s national selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020 will be the next guests at the Slukh series of online shows.
Quarantine Live by Slukh – Tvorchi (electronic music). 8 p.m. https://youtu.be/P0sIy-jhMcA.
Saturday, March 28
- Postman: singer-songwriter and frontman of the 5 Vymir rock band Kostiantyn Pochtar will present the new album of his solo project Postman.
Postman (singer-songwriter, folk rock, psychedelic). 9 p.m. www.instagram.com/kostjapochtar/.
Friday, March 27
- Quarantine Live by Slukh – Viktor Pavlik: the cult-like Ukrainian pop artist of the 1990s will be the next guest of the online series of shows by the Slukh music media.
Quarantine Live by Slukh – Viktor Pavlik (pop). 8 p.m. www.youtu.be/x3_vIQsUrXo.
Thursday, March 26
- Quarantine Live by Slukh – Komissiya: An indie alternative band from Kyiv will play a the next online show by Slukh music media.
Quarantine Live by Slukh – Komissiya (indie alternative). 8 p.m. www.youtu.be/xszf3mcf8dY.
Wednesday, March 25
- Quarantine Live by Slukh – Gurt [O]: The second guest of the Slukh online show series is Gurt [O], an indie-pop duo that participated in Ukraine’s national selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020.
Quarantine Live by Slukh – Gurt [O] (indie-pop). 8 p.m. www.youtu.be/tin66pm0wlU.
Tuesday, March 24
- Jamala: The Ukrainian winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 announced an online show with a cover of “No Time To Die” by Billie Eilish, the theme song of the upcoming James Bond film. Jamala will probably sing more covers and her original songs.
Jamala (soul, jazz, blues, pop). 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/jamalajaaa or www.youtube.com/user/jamalaofficial.
- Quarantine Live by Slukh – Maryna Krut: The online media about music Slukh announced a series of daily shows by Ukrainian artists. The first guest is singer and bandurist Maryna Krut, a finalist of Ukraine’s national selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020.
Quarantine Live by Slukh – Maryna Krut (indie soul). 8:20 p.m. www.youtu.be/VXPfOpUhaos.
Sunday, March 22
- Closer: Residents and friends of one Kyiv’s hottest clubs stream their electronic music sets till midnight – Ponura, Lobanov K., Alex Savage.
Closer: Ponura, Lobanov K., Alex Savage (electronic music). 6 p.m. www.facebook.com/closerkiev/videos.
Saturday, March 21
- Closer: Residents and friends of one Kyiv’s hottest clubs stream their electronic music sets till midnight – M. Tkachenko, Trippsy, Borys.
Closer: M. Tkachenko, Trippsy, Borys (electronic music). 6 p.m. www.facebook.com/closerkiev/videos.
- Criminal Practice: a trio of Kyiv DJs Ghetto Sunrise, Roma Khropko and Hopper Field will get together at the empty River Port club to stream their music online.
Criminal Practice (electronic music). 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/pg/criminalpractice/videos.
- Karantin by Kultura Zvuka: The Kharkiv collective of DJs hosts electronic music parties every few days. The second one will feature DJs Udda, SAXR, Komponente x Kurilo.
Karantin by Kultura Zvuka (electronic music). 9 p.m. www.youtube.com/c/KulturaZvuka.
Friday, March 20
- O. Torvald: The Ukrainian rock band will have its first reunion online before their tour starts on April 3. They will play their hits and songs from their last record “Diller Kaifu.”
O. Torvald (rock, alternative, pop punk). 6:50 p.m. www.otorvald.ua.
- Online Party by Aristocrats Radio and DJBuro: An online party featuring one of Ukraine’s best known electronic music artists DJ Nastia. Lesser known MCs and DJs Masha Efy, Vlad Fisun, Anton Ptushkin and Sivash will also spin the plates. Expect lots of techno.
Online Party by Aristocrats Radio and DJBuro (electronic music). 6 p.m. www.aristocrats.fm/video.
- Closer: Residents and friends of one Kyiv’s hottest clubs DJs Bambu, Vladimir Gnatenko and Igor Glushko will stream their electronic music sets till midnight.
Closer: Bambu, Vladimir Gnatenko, Igor Glushko (electronic music). 6:30 p.m. www.facebook.com/closerkiev/videos.
Movies
Takflix
Takflix is a brand new online cinema with new Ukrainian movies and a name that echos that of Netflix, the U.S. streaming platform. All movies at Takflix have English subtitles.
So far, its library of films is small but mighty. There are three feature films: “Vulkan,” about the harsh beauty of the Ukrainian steppe; “When the Trees Fall,” about forbidden love in a Ukrainian village; and “Hutsulka Ksenya,” a musical about love and discovery in the Carpathian Mountains.
There is also “2020. Free country,” a mockumentary about Ukrainian migration. The two classical documentaries on the list are “Heat Singers,” about utility workers in Ivano-Frankivsk who also want to sing, and “Askania Nova,” about people and animals living in a nature reserve.
Takflix charges Hr 60 ($2.20) for each film and allows viewers to stream it for a week after purchase. Watch at www.taxflix.com.
OLL.tv
OLL.tv is a Ukrainian internet-TV service that has recently started adding Ukrainian movies to its library. Some of them have English subtitles.
One of these is “Brama,” a mystical comedy-drama about a broken family in the Chornobyl exclusion zone headed by an elderly matriarch. English-speakers can also watch “The Tribe,” a sensational social drama set in a deaf school – and which has no spoken words.
Subscriptions at OLL.tv start at Hr 184 ($6.70) with the first week free. Watch at www.oll.tv.
Docuspace
Docuspace is an online platform with short and full-length feature documentary films about Ukraine and its people. It was created by the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.
The films at Docuspace tell stories of Ukrainians who are trying to change their country for the better. Thera are stories about activists, community organizers, minorities, military volunteers and those who help the Ukrainian army with supplies in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Films at Docuspace are free. Watch at www.docuspace.org.
Art
HeForShe Arts Week in AR
This augmented reality (AR) project can bring an exhibition of paintings by Ukrainian female artists to any living room using a smartphone. The user can examine and photograph the paintings and read their descriptions in English.
The AR exhibition has 14 artworks in total: 10 by Ukrainian women of the past from the National Art Museum of Ukraine and 4 by modern Ukrainian female artists. The goal of the project is to show the connection between female Ukrainian artists and the inheritance of their traditions in art.
Exhibition is free. Download its app at www.heforsheukraine.info/artsweek2020/argallery/.
Ukraine WOW Virtual Tour
This exhibition highlighting some of the most wondrous facts about Ukrainian geography, industry, history and culture is now online. Set up at the Kyiv central railway station, Ukraine Wow was the most popular exhibition in Ukraine’s history, the organizers, Ukraine’s state railroad monopoly Ukrzaliznytsi, say.
The online version offers an 3D tour through the exhibition and descriptions of all exhibits in English. There’s also a video tour by Yaroslava Gres, the CEO of the Gres Todorchuk PR agency, which brought the project to life.
Exhibition is free. Take a tour at www.ukrainewow.com/en.
