The documentary ‘Front Row’ will tell about the life of Ukrainian ballet dancers in exile, Variety writes. Sarah Jessica Parker (‘Sex and the City’), who is the vice chairman of the Board of Directors for the New York City Ballet, is set to executive produce the project
‘Front Row’ is described as ‘a tale of adversity caused by war and resilience’. The film will be about Ukrainian ballet dancers who in 2022 created the United Ukrainian Ballet company in The Hague.
In 2023, while performing the ‘Giselle’ ballet in Washington, D.C., ballet dancer and choreographer Alexei Ratmanskiy befriends Oleksandr Budko, a front-line soldier with the call sign ‘Teren’, who lost both his legs in the Izium area in August 2022. Oleksandr subsequently became one of the company’s dancers.
His debut performance with United Ukrainian Ballet was at the California Theatre in July 2023.
‘Giving these dancers an international platform to tell their stories through the power, beauty and grit of ballet is a profound honor’, Sarah Jessica Parker explained the idea behind the film.
Isidoor Roebers, Scenery’s founder, which will promote the film, said: ‘Front Row’ is set to be a fascinating insight into the world of ballet, showcasing the unwavering determination and dedication of a group of dancers from Ukraine’.
The film is being directed by Miriam Guttmann, director of the short film ‘Seeds of Deceit’. ‘Front Row’ is expected to be completed in 2024. It is currently in post-production.
In June, the Tribeca Film Festival hosted the world premiere of the documentary ‘Rule of Two Walls’, about Ukrainian artists at war. The film received an award from the jury for its work in the field of human rights and artistic expression.
The film stars Stepan Burban (Palindrom), Lyana Mytsko (founder of the Lviv Municipal Art Center, concert organizer), Bohdana Davydiuk (artist and illustrator), Serhii Petrov (aka artist Bob Basset), Kinder Album (artist from Lviv), and Diana Berg (author of the ‘Shelter’ project).
