The Docuseries “We” will use stunning archive footage in order to answer one question: “What does it mean to be Ukrainian?”. Filmmakers are looking for a co-producing partner.
“Our past can teach. It can inspire. Touch. And tell about us” – says the tagline for “We”, a Ukrainian docuseries determined to uncover Ukraine’s past, in order to understand the heart and identity of its present.
The authors behind the project reached out to Filmmakers for Ukraine to ask for support to complete their work.
“WE” – CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TEASER TRAILER FOR THE UKRAINIAN DOCUSERIES
“We” (working title) is a project conceived by director Yaroslav Korotkov and producer Lera Koptseva. A love letter to a nation. “For many years we’ve been trying to understand our national identity. What does it mean to be a Ukrainian? With a strong historical foundation, we believe that you could boldly answer who you really are”.
All you need to know about WE – Click here to start
HOW TO HELP THE PROJECT
Producer Lera Koptseva reached out to Filmmakers for Ukraine to ask for help, as the filmmakers are currently looking for financial support in order to start their work. “There is a teaser for the series, a synopsis – says Koptseva to FFU – So, we are now looking for financial support: we need to cover the payment for the director, scriptwriter, film editor and archive researcher. We would start working on it as soon as we get this budget”.
The project will be an eleven part Docuseries. Each episode would run for half an hour for a total of 330 minutes (five and a half hours).
Please reach out to Filmmakers for Ukraine if you want to support the project.
The filmmakers also assembled a powerful teaser trailer for their project. One hundred seconds of impressive footage, clearly showing that Koroktov and Koptseva will have access to a goldmine of visual national memories. The teaser focuses on Ukrainian women and men across the years in their everyday life, spinning through sport, fashion, food, general professions. “Ukraine is only 30 years old. However, the end of the 19th century, the beginning of 20th and The Soviet Union – are the times that we have to cross off. In this project, we would like to withdraw from the politics and ideology and replicate the life of Ukrainians from the beginning of the 20th century to our days with the help of archive footage only”.
A goldmine of visual national memories
A woman directs traffic. Another one drives a bus. Women achieve triumph in sports. Those images are followed by shots of a civilization constantly building itself, finding unity through hardships. Impressive frames collected both in color and glorious black and white. “Our director, Yaroslav, has access to several national film archives. These are the places where all the video recordings from the beginning of the 20th century to the end of the 90s are stored. Archive footage will be carried out directly from film – 8.6 or 35 millimeters. Then, we will convert the selected episodes to digital, in order to edit them in a computer”.
“We” will address to the audience on a global level. The docuseries aims to resonate with both young and older generations. “Those who are looking for interesting facts about the world before the advent of the iPhone. But it will also be interesting for the older generation to recall facts and events that they may have witnessed”. The series will also cover two sensitive topics: Donbass and Crimea. “We would like to place special emphasis on the history of these regions, to remind the audience of significant events in the history of Donbass and the people who lived and worked there at different times”.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE UKRAINIAN?
“I was born in 1989. All my life I have witnessed the struggle of my country for its cultural and political independence. 1991, 2004, 2014, our days. All this is a desire to move away from the Soviet legacy as soon as possible. Nevertheless, the legacy of the 20th century, our past, is what shaped us all as individuals. The modern generation was raised by parents who lived under the Soviet Union, and their parents lived under Stalin. Much of what surrounds us – architecture, urban infrastructure, an infinite number of factories and mills – all this is a remnant of the Soviet empire, which is always around us and shapes our worldview.
However, the desire to build a new country is unwavering. To be Ukrainian means to fight against hostile ideology, and in spite of everything to try to join the developed world, preserving only the good that we had in the past. And this struggle continues within each of us”.
Yaroslav Korotkov – Director
Discover more about Ukrainian films and filmmakers. Visit our Movie section
