Without make-up and spotlights

During her creative career, Jamala (Susana Jamaladinova) recorded and released four studio albums, one live album, and two mini-albums; she sang in English, Ukrainian, Russian, and Crimean Tatar; she starred in two films: The Guide by Ukrainian film director Oles Sanin and Polina by Franco-Belgian filmmaker Olias Barco.

The film Jamala.UA was shot by a young director Anna Akulevych, whom the viewers may remember by her full length feature debut It’s me, which received numerous awards at international and Ukrainian film festivals (including the Grand Prix of an international film festival in Luciano, Italy). The picture will be released on April 13, according to the press service of Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Center.

According to the director, Jamala.UA is a portrait film that reveals another side of the Eurovision winner: without make-up, spotlights, and playing to the camera. Here the singer appears as a creative person and a woman with character, principles, doubts, and tenderness, but infinitely devoted to music. The filming began during the winter tour of Jamala, when it was not known yet that the singer would win the Eurovision. But gradually the picture took shape as one documenting her way to the international recognition. The prerelease will be screened at Butterfly DeLuxe cinema; according to Akulevych, the singer will visit it personally to present the movie.

Incidentally, the singer will introduce her new solo program “I Believe in U” – named after the eponymous single – on May 12 at the Sports Palace of Kyiv. The basis of the grand show will be taken from Jamala’s international album 1944, released by Universal Music Group, and her best songs of various years. The concert’s visual design will be made by Front Pictures, which cooperated with Jamala on her triumphant Eurovision-2016. Also, the singer has recently produced an enhanced version of the song “1944,” accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of the National Radio Company of Ukraine, conductor Volodymyr Sheiko.