FILM.UA Groupjointly with STB channel, with the support of Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, started production of There Will Be Humans historical film epic
The script of a 12-episode TV film is based on a novel with the same title by Anatoliy Dimarov, Ukrainian classic author of the 20th century. The events of the novel cover a thirty-year period, from 1901 until 1932. The events are centered on a story of several Ukrainian families. The protagonists will feel the turbulent nature of those times on themselves and their families as they will live through World War I, revolutions, and the establishment of Communist regime… Will they be able to preserve their lives and families and to remain true to their values?
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A strong literary foundation, a dramatic period of Ukrainian history (first third of the 20th century), an excellent cast, meticulous work with historians and ethnographers – all this makes There Will Be Humans a real historical film epic about love and passion, fidelity and treason, truth and the all-triumphant lust for life. The project combines different genres, namely historical film, drama and family saga.
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And even though the film epic tells about people who lived over one hundred years ago the audience will understand the characters’ motives, their feelings and thoughts as the series characters and its audience have the same eternal human values: the undefeated wish to love, remain true to yourself and protect your home and family. The film is about our ancestors, and many viewers will recognize the stories of their grandmothers and grandfathers in the lives onscreen. But the most important is that the events the characters have to live through resonate with the conflicts the society faces today.
Olesya Lukyanenko, creative producer, tells about the series relevance:
“We all know that history works in cycles. And sometimes, to understand what is happening to us today, we have to step back and look at ourselves in the context of time. The questions of national identity – who we are, where we are from and what unites us – are as relevant as ever in our society. And we took up a screening of Anatoliy Dimarov’s novel because its story seems very topical to us. And we believe that it puts the right accents: there is no division into good and bad people but instead there is understanding and compassion towards each character.”
The director of film epic is Arkadiy Nepytalyuk who was quite a figure at international film festivals several years ago thanks to his two films, Blood Sausage (short) and Pryputni (feature).
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This is how Olesya Lukyanenko, creative producer, explains the choice of his candidacy for the post of director:
“Today it is an accepted practice all over the world to invite directors of theatrical films to create TV series. And we are delighted that Arkadiy agreed. He is an incredibly sophisticated and original director who works with actors very well. And he has an outstanding sense of humor which turned out to be simply vital for such a complicated story.”
Director Arkadiy Nepytalyuk has also shared his comment about the new project:
“The plot is centered on a real-life story of Ivasyutas and several other families. The action is set in the beginning of the previous century: the audience will see the life of regular people on the background of revolutions, wars and the famine.
Actually, this is a story of survival of regular Ukrainians: despite wars and mass destructions people yearn to live, they aspire towards life. I would even venture to say that this is a story of Ukrainians’ total endurance, our ability to survive against all odds…”
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For outdoor filming, a picturesque spot in Vasylkiv district of Kyiv region was selected, with a wheat field, a lake and a forest. Here the set was built – a farm of Svyryd Ivasyuta, the protagonist, where the events of the film start. The filming will also take place in Pyrohiv National Museum of Folk Architecture and Domestic Life (Kyiv), museum of folk architecture and domestic life of Middle Naddnipryanschina (Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky) and other places in Ukraine.
The film features both well-known masters of film and stage – Viktor Zhdanov (playing Svyryd Ivasyuta), Ostap Dzyadek (Oksen Ivasyuta), Akmal Gurezov (Vasyl Ganzha), and young actors: Kateryna Grygorenko (Olena and Olesya Ivasyuta), Olena Borozenets (Tanya Svitlychna), Kostyantyn Temlyak (Oleg Myroslavsky), and others.
The filming will last until the end of 2019. You can find out about project news and things happening on the film set on official pages of FILM.UA Group. We wish the film crew every success!
Screenwriters: Tetyana Schegelska, Taras Antypovych
Director: Arkadiy Nepytalyuk
Cameraman: Dmytro Yurikov
Executive producer: Valeria Tkachuk
Creative producer: Olesya Lukyanenko
Producers: Sergiy Demydov, Viktor Mirsky
Cast: Kateryna Grygorenko, Ostap Dzyadek, Akmal Gurezov, Viktor Zhdanov, Olena Borozenets, Kostyantyn Temlyak, Oleksandr Piskunov, Oleksandr Mavrits, Makar Tikhomirov, Anna Tambova, Maryna Koshkina, and others.
