The story of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus is one of courage and true grit - a vivid chronicle that celebrates the human spirit. This is the triumphant story of the original seventeen members of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus who survived World War II as a musical ensemble.
The early Chorus and the musicians who played the instrument known as the bandura had been systematically persecuted during the repression years in the Soviet Union. Hundreds of bandura players went missing and were executed in the 1930's. The Chorus was nearly wiped out in the early days of WWII - but with a stroke of fate, 17 men re-established the ensemble in Kyiv.
In short order, the Chorus was forcibly transported out of Ukraine by the German occupying authorities, and incarcerated in a labour camp in Germany. In time they were assigned to perform in all the OST (Ostarbeiter) slave labour camps across Germany. The Chorus and their music brought hope to tens of thousands of Ostarbeiters displaced from Eastern Europe, many of whom were children. Their gift of music eventually carried them across the ocean to freedom in 1949. The Chorus thrives to this day upon the foundation these artists forged for future generations.
The film brings out the deepest roots of a very fragile tradition, celebrating the resiliency of a music culture that has survived centuries. It provides an educational, informative and compelling perspective - the personal stories of the last two survivors inter cut with the collective history of the bandura throughout the ages. Interwoven with contemporary musical performances, the film illustrates the bandurist as bard, as seer, as spiritual emissary for the soul of the Ukrainian people, then and now, in Ukraine and beyond.
| Directed by | Orest Sushko |