A prestigious award for the video about our soldiers
Producer: “We are now unable to work with the Russian content, so we have to develop our market as soon as possible”
Last week, laureates of the Omni Awards (a prestigious international video prize) were announced in the US. A Ukrainian social video received the award for the first time in its history. Video You Are Close. Believe. Live, which urges to help the families of Ukrainian soldiers who died during combat activities in eastern Ukraine, was nominated in two categories. It received silver in the category “Non-Profit” and bronze in the category “Drama.”
The video was created by GoodMedia Production Company and commissioned by the National Defense Foundation. Earlier, this company worked on the ad Come Back Alive! The video about killed soldiers appeared on screens in August of 2014. The video consists of memories of a soldier’s relatives. Fragments of the footage of a fallen hero’s funeral are mixed with the ones of his life. The video was filmed in Kyiv.
The authors of the video were inspired by the stories of the soldiers whom they met when filming the documentary Battle for the Dnipro River.
“Working on the idea of this video, we wanted to show real lives of the families of those who were killed or injured during the Anti-Terrorist Operation. But we did not simply show human tragedy on screens, we let readers understand that life goes on and there is hope. In particular, this thought is incorporated in the incredible likeness of the deceased soldier and his son. Perhaps, this diversity touched the jury,” tells Kyrylo Tymoshenko, producer of GoodMedia Production Company, to The Day.
By the way, this video is already included in the program of the oldest advertising festival Cannes Lions in the category “Non-Commercial Video.” According to Tymoshenko, this shows that the domestic advertisement market has entered a new stage in its development.
“It is pleasant that this video won in wartime. This shows that despite the difficult situation, we start producing more quality products. Now we understand that we will not be able to work with Russian content further, so we have to develop our own market as soon as possible.”
The Day’s FACT FILE
Omni Awards is issued twice a year for outstanding achievements in film, video, and mobile media. The contest’s jury includes representatives of CNN, NBC, ABC, PBS, Cartoon Network, Disney, Associated Press, and the Olympic Committee.
