This documentary 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 17 members of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus who survived World War II as a musical ensemble and illustrates how musicians were used abused by political regimes. The film brings out the deepest roots of a fragile tradition of the Ukrainian musical instrument known as the bandura, celebrating the resiliency of a music culture that has survived centuries – and depicts the romantic notion of how a song can be more powerful than an act of war.
The film provides an educational, informative and compelling perspective – the personal stories of the last two ensemble survivors inter cut with the collective history of Ukraine and 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.
(With English narration/English subtitles)

Directed by UBC alumnus Orest Sushko