Documentary drama on Nazariy Yaremchuk is highest-grossing Ukrainian film of all time, Forbes reports

The film about Ukraine’s first star pop singer, Nazariy Yaremchuk has turned into the country’s highest-grossing documentary movie, according to the distributors Film.ua Group, as reported by Suspilne. 

“Over three weekends in theaters, the documentary biographical film Yaremchuk: An Unmatched World of Beauty took UAH 9.9 million (approx. USD 235,714) at the boxoffice. Nearly 63,000 cinemagoers have seen the film so far and the title is still running. The budget of the film was reportedly UAH 2.5 million (USD 59,524).

The Yaremchuk documentary has surpassed the previous record-holder, which was the Oscar-winning film made by Myroslav Chernov 20 Days in Mariupol, which has grossed UAH 9 million (USD 214,286) at the box office.

This is in the genre of a documentary biographical drama about Nazariy Yaremchuk.  The movie concerns his life story, his artistic journey and his rise to fame.  It describes his family background, as well as his famous performances in Chornobyl and Afghanistan, and deals with the KGB persecution he suffered. The project was created over a three year period and the idea for a film came from the performer’s daughter, Mariia Yaremchuk.

Viewers of the movie can see  the singer’s never before published family archives and personal diaries. There is a voiceover created from artificial intelligence throughout, based closely on Yaremchuk’s own voice, derived from the interviews he gave and with a dubbing actor.

The creators say that their biographical docu-drama allows audiences to trace not only the growth and development of the artist himself but also the country as a whole.

“We can trace in Ukraine’s history how closely it is tied to him. All the events of the 60s, 70s, and 80s were intertwined with Yaremchuk’s figure. This includes the Khrushchev Thaw, which shaped the stage and led to the creation of the VIA Smerichka, as well as the onset of independence. We show how he performed and was a member of  Chervona Ruta, which took place in Chernivtsi, and how he performed in Chornobyl for the liquidators. These are all important events, and he was part of them,” said the film’s producer Maksym Serdiuk in an interview with Suspilne.