
ARTE to broadcast a documentary feature about Recirquel
The leading European art channel premiers the My Land – My Land? Ukrainian Acrobats Between Art and War (original title: Mein Land – Mein Land? Ukrainische Artisten zwischen Kunst und Krieg) documentary feature on 17th July, which marks the first time that ARTE ever commissioned a film about a Hungarian cultural production for broadcast and online availability.
The creators of the 60-minute documentary travelled with the members of the company for months, following news about the break-out of the war against Ukraine. The My Land team was touring in France when the first pieces of news reached them, and the production based on the personal stories of the Ukrainian performers gained completely new meaning. What is the role of the artist at a time of war? Perform or fight? The film presents the personal stories, doubts, and reflections of the performers to these dilemmas and on the tragic news arriving from their homeland. It is the first time ever that ARTE created and broadcasts a documentary film about a Hungarian cultural production; the documentary and a recording of the entire My Land performance made by Müpa Budapest is available online right after the TV premier at 5:00 pm on the 17th of July 2022.
Directed and choregraphed by Bence Vági, artistic director of Recirquel, My Land premiered four years ago and has toured internationally ever since; the cirque danse production tells the personal stories of the performers and features original music based on traditional Ukrainian folk songs.
The documentary film titled Mein Land – Mein Land? Ukrainische Artisten zwischen Kunst und Krieg) was directed by acclaimed film director, Ilka Franzmann, who decided to make a documentary about the artists of My Land after seeing the show. She contacted ARTE, and the TV company approved the filming almost overnight. Ilka and her crew followed the artists to several performances in France, then to Müpa Budapest and the Recirquel rehearsal base that is also located in Budapest, Hungary.