While Ukraine has been trying to brush away the remains of its Soviet past, renaming streets, renovating buildings and removing statues, European musicians are flocking to Kyiv to capture its communist-era architecture, as well as unfinished new constructions, as backdrops for their videos.
“Europe has fallen in love with Kyiv’s brutal style and post-Soviet constructions, especially for music videos,” says Anastasiya Bukovska, the executive producer at the Kyiv-based Family Production company, which offers video production services to foreign companies.
More than 20 foreign music videos and commercials have been filmed in Kyiv in 2017, with the residential districts of Troieshchyna and Poznyaky, as well as the unfinished Podilsko-Voskresensky Bridge, being among the most popular locations. Other favorite spots are the VDNH exhibition center, Kyiv’s Soviet-era Pushcha-Vodytsya suburban health resort, the city’s libraries, and the metro.
“In Ukraine, it’s possible to get permission to film in the metro faster than in other European cities,” Bukovska says. “Time is always important.”
However, Kyiv doesn’t just offer old-fashioned backdrops: Ukraine’s capital has some ultra-modern options too.
“If a modern European city is to be filmed, then it has to be Vozdvyzhens’ka Street. Shooting here takes place every week,” Bukovska says, referring to the street in Kyiv’s Podil that was built in the early 2000s, and which is resplendent in rows of colorful houses. “So it’s not just about how cheap, but how impressive locations are as well.”
Production companies in Ukraine can offer their own cast of actors, but some filmmakers, due to language difficulties or an already written screenplay, bring their own.
And even though Ukraine can’t be called the most popular European destination for video production, it has gained a decent share of attention since the Euromaidan revolution of 2013-2014, Bukovska says.
Check out the latest music and commercial videos shot in Kyiv in 2017.
Busy P feat. Mayer Hawthorne – “Genie”
This music video to a track by a French DJ Busy P features a sleepwalking trip in nighttime Kyiv, including shots of the Poznyaky residential district and some locations in the city’s metro. Ukrainian model Anna Tychomyrova plays the lead role.
BOEF – “Habiba”
This video, released in March, has already received over 42 million views on YouTube. In Arabic, habiba means my baby or my precious. Boef, a Dutch rapper, chose the interiors and exteriors of post-Soviet buildings in Kyiv for his video’s backgrounds. It was a good choice, as the music video won the best video at the 3FMawards, and was chosen as video of the day on June 27 on VOTD, the daily awards site for video content creators.
Hurts – “Beautiful Ones”
This isn’t the first music video by Hurts shot in Kyiv. Two years ago the band released a video for their song “Wings” that was filmed in the Ukrainian capital. Their new music video “Beautiful Ones,” also shot in Kyiv, depicts the disturbing story of a gay person being chased, stripped and beaten up by attackers on a street.
Isaac Delusion — “The Sinner”
French band Isaac delusion shot this video at Lake Almazne in the north-eastern outskirts of Kyiv. Director Sacha Barbin drew inspiration from the orthodox baptism traditions, where a sinner purifies himself in a frozen lake during epiphany.
Nothing But Thieves – “Amsterdam”
A British alternative rock band Nothing But Thieves shot this music video in an old abandoned factory in Kyiv. The video features band members performing in the factory with rusty metal bars and broken pieces of equipment lying around.
Nothing But Thieves – “Sorry”
This music video was shot in Kyiv’s Troieshchyna residential district. The front man of a band wanders along the street, and people around him start to behave oddly, and violently. The music video mainly features Soviet-style streets, buildings, and apartments.
Paloma Faith – “Crybaby”
This video was shot in the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, and Vernadsky National Library. “Crybaby,” the second video by Paloma Faith filmed in Kyiv, depicts a futuristic, dystopian authoritarian society.
OrelSan – “Basique”
This music video, shot for a French rapper, features the unfinished industrial Podilsko-Voskresensky Bridge. The rapper walks, between two long lines of people dressed in black and white clothes, who are wearing jockey hats and hoods, holding money, briefcases, inflatable sharks and other incongruous items, while walking, marching and dancing.
Avicii ft. Rita Ora – “Lonely Together”
Filmed in many different locations in Kyiv and released on Sept. 18, this unusual music video has already racked up 26 million views.
Eric Bompard – “Cashmere collection”
A commercial for a new cashmere clothes collection by a French label Eric Bompard was shot near the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
Canal Digital – “Love”
The Canal Digital commercial called “Love” was shot at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex in Kyiv. A football fan that supports a football player during the game discovers that his love of the player is mutual. The commercial underlines the diversity of the content of Canal Digital.
This video can’t be embedded due to the domain restrictions, watch the commercial here.
Diesel – “Go With The Flaw”
“Go With The Flaw,” a commercial by Italian jeans brand Diesel, features young people with cross-eyes, braces, tattoos and scars, and promotes non-standard beauty. Some of the youths are seen dancing on the unfinished Podilsko-Voskresensky Bridge.
Uniqlo Danpan
Japanese label Uniqlo has issued a video for its new collection of winter clothes, shot at the territory of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Filmed last winter, it was released only in October.
Dior – Poison Club
This commercial for the new Dior scent “Poison Club” was shot at a parking lot in Kyiv, where men and women join in a dance battle.
Apple Watch
The screening of a video advertising the new Apple Watch Series 3 was a part of the latest presentation of company’s new products held on Sept. 12 in Apple Park. The commercial was shot in Kyiv’s Central Railway Station, as well as in the city’s Zoloti Vorota metro station.
Lacoste – “Timeless”
The commercial, titled “Timeless,” is a short film that features a man and a woman who fall in love at the first sight and travel through time to meet again. Their clothes and hairstyles change, but the Lacoste polo shirt stays the same. The video was shot in three locations: the Kyiv metro, a railway station and the train museum in Budapest, and a green-screen studio for filming stunts.
Editor’s Note: This story was produced within Journalism Exchange Program with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy non-profit organization.
