Each film tells the personal stories that Ukrainians experienced and continue to experience during the war. All the main characters are ordinary people. They are fishermen, firefighters, power engineers, steelworkers, and miners, who, despite the hostilities, psychological pressure, or proximity to the front line, continue to work at their jobs and help the country. They volunteer, bake bread to send it to the front line and to those regions where the war has brought people to the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, and restore electricity to people with the aim of bringing closer the victory over the enemy.
Metinvest Group employees are the main characters in three of the seven films: Iryna Babenko from Ingulets GOK in the film “Where the Rainbow Ends”; Volodymyr Kabanets, a miner from Metinvest Pokrovske Coal, who is the main character in “Miles Under the Ground”; and Oleksiy Mashchenko from “Batya”, who was able to attend the premiere screening in person. Each story about an employee of the Group is unique because, despite external factors, they continue to work in extremely difficult conditions.
Oleksiy Mashchenko, a steelmaker at Zaporizhstal, who came to the premiere with his daughter Yaroslava and wife Tetiana, shared his emotions: “I am an ordinary person: when I am asked to help, I cannot stand aside. That is why, from the first day of the war, without leaving my primary job as a steelmaker, I started helping our guys on the front line. I deliver everything they need, even under shelling. We have to help each other to win. You should help even if you are physically unable to serve. That is why these films are a real hymn to humanity, a monument to ordinary people who do more than they can every day. I thank Vlad for this view of ordinary people.”
The premiere of the films generated significant interest among documentary filmmakers and people from the media. The project is authored by Vladyslav Stankevych, the director of the documentary “Arrhythmia” about Valeriy Lobanovskyi, who has been actively cooperating with Ukrainian and international companies since the beginning of the war to draw attention to the events in Ukraine and to support the morale of all Ukrainians.
After the premiere, Vlad Stankevych said: “This project is about values, sacrifice, hope, love, and an unwavering faith in the future of our country. We believe that these stories will touch everyone and remind us of the importance of remaining human even in the most difficult times.”
The music and visuals of the films were created with special attention to detail to convey the atmosphere and emotions of each story. The “Anthem of Life” team worked to ensure that each shot looked aesthetically pleasing and touching, imbued with its own additional meaning.
The production of the “Anthem of Life” film series was made possible with the support of partners Metinvest and DTEK.
Commenting the premiere, Oleg Davydenko, head of corporate communications at Metinvest Group, said: “For us, for Metinvest, supporting this initiative is about everyone’s engagement. It is an opportunity to show that there is a place for heroes among our 8,000 mobilised employees and 50,000 other employees who do everything and a little more for Ukraine’s victory in difficult times.”
The films will soon be available to the general public on Megogo. More information about the project can be found on the website: https://anthemoflife.com/.