First, they go on an expedition to the Polesye wilderness, then you dance to this music in the trendy Minsk club. The film “Belarusian Songs: Tradition of Distance” explains how thanks to young and eenthusiastic people traditional singing does not die along with the old Polesye dwellers.
A music documentary from director Artsyom Lobach rests upon the work of three young Belarusian bands (Vuraj,Re1ikt, and Shuma), expeditions to Polesye, conversations with musicians and inhabitants of the local villages.
Earlier, folk songs were handed down from generation to generation. Today, this tradition is disappearing. Lost are the original texts and intonation, lost is the meaning of the ritual. But thanks to the young generation of musicians, the songs continue to live in the new format.
However, not all ethnographers and musicians rejoice at today’s creators changing the traditional singing to suit themselves. The film was shot on the edge of videoart, documentary and clipmaking. It features folk songs and their modern variants.
Artsyom Lobach is a Belarusian director, clipmaker, documentalist. Among his works are documentaries “Simple Things,” “Road to Damascus. Part One,” short artistic films “House,” “Twilight,” “Closer Than You Think,” music videos for “The Toobes”,”J: Mors”,”Akute”,”Vuraj”and others.
