STB prepares three premieres of Ukrainian production

In a few days, STB TV channel will broadcast three projects created by Ukrainian creative teams: the documentaries Art at War and Blackout. Christmas” co-produced by SPACE Production and the Association of Ukrainian Producers, as well as the multi-part detective series Water Police from the creators of the favorite TV series The Trail and Blind (SPACE Production).

“The work of the Ukrainian creative industry during a full-scale invasion is about jobs and the resilience of our nation. Life tests us every day, throws up stories that hurt, cause tears of pain or happiness, that remind us of the terrible price of freedom, but which also unite Ukrainians and motivate us not to stop on our way to victory. That is why, along with the resumption of our own film and series production, which we launched last fall, STB is actively strengthening its partnership with Ukrainian creative teams, in particular with the Association of Ukrainian Producers (AUP) and SPACE Production. This gives us the opportunity to create content that our viewers need so much now and thanks to which we also have the opportunity to talk about Ukraine with the whole world,” comments Kateryna Shevelyuk, General Producer of STB TV series production.

“Art in War was created in partnership with SPACE Production, OUP and the German company BROADVIEW. The film tells the story of the Ukrainian cultural front, thanks to which the Ukrainian identity has so powerfully declared itself to the world.

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Art at war

“I see how the world hears us more, wants to talk and feel about us more,” said First Lady Olena Zelenska in an exclusive interview for the film.

She added that, in her opinion, during the full-scale invasion, there was a real surge in Ukrainian creativity, because our artists do not stand still. Those who are now defending the country on the front line will tell us how the war influenced their work, how songs and paintings, sculptures and performances became a powerful Ukrainian weapon: Andriy Khlyvnyuk, leader of the band Boombox, Taras Topolya, leader of the band Antytila, Mykhailo Reva, sculptor, Olha Balashova, art historian, Moisei Bondarenko, musician, and Volodymyr Bezrukyi, a warrior artist known as Picasso, who is known for his paintings made on the fragments of boards and doors. The film is directed by Philipp Kohlhöfer, a German essayist and documentary filmmaker who often works in hot spots.

“Blackout. Christmas” is the result of the joint work of Ukrainian producers Volodymyr Borodyansky (OUP), Daria Legoni-Fialko (OUP, SPACE Production) and Kateryna Laskari (SPACE Production), which was made possible thanks to the invaluable support of NPC Ukrenergo and DTEK Group. The film will tell how the country’s huge energy system suffered from missile “wounds,” kept alive and recovered every time, despite all the enemy’s criminal intentions. The audience will see the stories of five cities: Odesa, Lviv, Pavlohrad, Kharkiv, and Kyiv. But the main characters in this film are Ukrainian power engineers who, often risking their own lives, brought light to every home and became true national heroes. The film crew gained exclusive access to a number of critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine and will show the viewer how the system works from the inside.

“We all know what it’s like when the power goes out, which means no Wi-Fi, almost no mobile communication, and some people are left without heating and water supply. But even in such conditions, Ukrainians continued to do their jobs. This was yet another manifestation of Ukraine’s resilience in the fight against the darkness of Russian military aggression. Despite all the missile attacks, the Christmas lights shone because there is a light that will never go out,” says Ilona Schneider, executive producer of the film Blackout. Christmas”.

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Blackout

“This is a movie about those who prevented a total energy apocalypse from happening. The Russian attacks caused enormous damage, so much so that I had no idea what the scale of destruction was behind the short phrase ‘the grid is damaged’. Only during the filming process did I realize what a titanic work our power engineers were doing to keep the grid in working order,” says Tala Prystavatska, the scriptwriter and creative producer of the film.

“Water Police” is a 44-episode detective series about the work of a special unit of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies. The duties of the water police include not only patrolling the Dnipro water area and combating poaching, but also solving criminal offenses committed on or near the water. This team of professionals will bring everyone to the clean water. The series features both well-known Ukrainian actors and young names: Oleksandr Formanchuk, Oleksandr Mavryts, Margo Balasanyan, Mila Rymar, Kateryna Skrypko and others.

The filmmakers dedicate all three premieres to their colleagues from the film set – those who were forced to leave the movie and went to the front to defend Ukraine.

“The Water Police series was shot by a team of excellent Ukrainian directors. These are Sergiy Krymsky, with whom we have been working fruitfully for many years, and Anton Shcherbakov, with whom we created the world of our water police. The underwater filming was done by director Yevhen Doronin, who recently returned to Kyiv from Bakhmut. Zhenya took part in the liberation of Kherson region, as well as in battles in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Donetsk regions. There are many of our colleagues at the front, and they are all real heroes. That’s why we dedicate the launch of these premieres to them and want everyone to return home with a victory and do their favorite work again,” says Daria Legoni-Fialko, founder and general producer of SPACE Production, co-founder of the OUP.

Don’t miss three Ukrainian premieres on STB at once: