The official soundtrack for the documentary film “Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” has been released today.
Crafted from stark footage and exclusive interviews with people displaced by the enduring conflict, “Freedom on Fire” is about Ukraine’s fight for freedom. The film reveals how the spirit of unity strengthens morale even amid the country’s darkest hours. It is a companion piece to director Evgeny Afineevsky’s Oscar-nominated movie “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s fight for freedom” and transports viewers through a war that started immediately after Maidan (Revolution of Dignity) in 2014 and continues through the 2023 Russian invasion.
Jasha Klebe, the composer of both films, tells us how in 2015 he had the immense privilege of working with director Evgeny Afineevsky on Winter on Fire, which depicts the unrest in Ukraine during 2013-2014 as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich, and also had the opportunity to travel to Kiev to spend time with many of the inspiring Ukrainian people who stood at the front lines of the Maidan revolution.
7 years later, on 24 February 2022, Jasha tells how “I, like much of the world, watched in horror as Russia invaded Ukraine. My social media feeds were suddenly overflown with the very people I had met in Kiev now being forced to flee their country and fight for their lives. I reached out to Evgeny asking if there was anyway I could help. He was already on the ground with a team in Ukraine capturing the events. With footage coming in weekly from in person witnesses, our original “Winter On Fire” team came together to complete the film, “Freedom On Fire” in just 3 months time. It was hailed as a new type of genre, termed “Instant Cinema”, at the Venice Film Festival where it premiered.
“With such urgency in mind, I approached writing the score entirely different than I traditionally would. Like composing to a constantly evolving news cycle, new raw footage would come in and I would sit at my piano and just react. The most important element were the faces staring back at me and so my focus was on capturing an immediate, visceral reaction that evoked the sheer emotions I believe we all feel watching these harrowing images on the screen.
“At the heart of the score are an incredible Ukrainian violinist and cellist - Vera Lytovchenko & Olena Dvorskavera - who we safely brought out of Ukraine and into a studio, where we could record without the sounds of bombs in the background. They brought the voice of the Ukrainian people to the score; a voice that continues to fight, continues to endure, and continues to hope.”
Take a look behind the music in this powerful video featuring the Ukrainian violinist and cellist.
