Young Ukrainian director Sashko Brama embarks on a several day journey with Ilya, the former circus principal, who volunteered during the war. The journey starts in Lviv in western Ukraine, where the main character loads his old Citroën with humanitarian aid and takes it to the front line cities in eastern Ukraine. The camera captures the devastated landscape of the mining towns where Ilya used to perform with his circus, the meetings with soldiers and civilians exhausted from war and uncertainty. At the end of the day, Ilya comes to to his old apartment in Druzhkivka, where he once lived with his family, to spend the night. He smokes on the balcony to the sound of artillery cannons and looks out on the front line, which is only 25 km away.
WE: MEDIA THEATER (2018) is an independent Ukrainian art group working in the field of multimedia theatre. It was founded in Lviv by Sashko Brama, a young activist, director, screenwriter and playwright, who’s been experimenting with a line between post-documentary theatre and documentary film. Brama's work was presented at festivals in Ukraine, Poland, Germany and Slovakia. Currently, their main topic are the events of the all-out Russian war in Ukraine, where Brama operates as a war reporter.
Milan Bátor is a Czech guitarist, music journalist and pedagogue. He is the author of dozens of arrangements of popular songs for solo guitar, which are characterized by respect for originals and sophisticated use of guitar techniques. As a solo guitarist, he caught the attention of YouTube with the series Milan Bátor plays Vlasta Redl, where he published his arrangements of Vlasta Redl's songs for solo guitar. In 2020, he released his debut album titled Milan Bátor Mario Gangi: Works for solo guitar. In 2023 he released his second solo album I Beatles, which contains 18 instrumental arrangements of the famous English band. On the occasion of Karel Kryl's 80th birthday, he played several successful concerts with a programme of his songs. His work has provoked a positive response from music critics and the public.
More at: https://wemediatheater.com/
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https://www.youtube.com/@MilanBator81
Photo: AND archive