The Red Bracelets To Be Seen in Ukraine: Local Adaptation of World-Renowned Format Goes on Air

This Saturday, November 25, on air of STB channel the audience will see the long-awaited premiere of The Red Bracelets  series (produced by FILM.UA Group and AVK Production,12 episodes) created on the basis of an autobiographical book by Spanish writer Albert Espinosa. It tells about life in children’s hospital.

The Red Bracelets  (Polseres Vermelles) tells the story of six teenagers who got to the hospital with grave diseases and formed their gang. The children’s wing of a polyclinic is an absolutely viable model of the big world where children make friends and fall in love, stand up to life challengeі and make complicated decisions. The story is told without too much drama; instead, the narration is light, fun, touching and – what’s especially important – life-affirming.

The film made it to the screens in 2011 and immediately became popular first in Spain and then all over the world. Presently more than ten countries are adapting the format; the premieres of Italian, German and American version have already been aired. 

The author of original story Polseres Vermelles Albert Espinosa did not invent the plot for the film’s script: he was diagnosed with cancer when he was 14. For ten years he fought the illness and lost a leg, a lung and a portion of liver in the process. “I found out that any loss is a gain. I haven’ t lost a leg; I’ve gained a stump. I haven’t lost a lung; I found out you can live with the remaining half. And as my liver was cut out in the form of a star, I always used to think I had a sheriff’s star inside,” Albert Espinosa says. “This series is true from the beginning to the end. This was my life and the life of my friends when we fought cancer being teenagers. I did wear a red bracelet at the time; it always gave me courage. So that’s why I chose such title.” 

“With the help of The Red Bracelets  I wanted to change the idea about cancer,” Albert Espinosa says. “I wanted the people to see that you can have cancer and be happy, that your life isn’t over – it is simply about a new stimulus. I also wanted to show how important humor and tenderness are, but first of all, I wanted to change the idea about cancer and sadness – it is not important whether you live or die, it is important to fight. It is not sad to die; it is sad not to live your life to the fullest.” 

After the screening on Saturday, the series will be published on FILM.UA YouTube channel. The digital premiere of the series will take place in cooperation with Tabletochki fund.