An intimate, rare look into a very different world that has been isolated for centuries, the world of Belarusian folks songs, which were kept alive for thousands of years and are still performed today by Belarusian villagers, but vanish rapidly with disappearance of the village life and their carriers.
THE DOCUMENTARY ON THE DVD
DVD-Digipak with 7-pages glued-in insert featuring information about the movie and featuring our authentic singing stars.
TRAILER
STORY BEHIND THE DOCUMENTARY
The Songs of Old Europe – Ancient Belarusian Folk Songs is the first ever English-language documentary about Belarusian folk songs, which are considered by ethnographers to be the oldest unaltered songs in Europe. However, these songs and the people who sing them were looked down upon and mistreated, even in their own country. Even Belarusians don’t realize the significance of their songs.
The topic, although traditional, has been infused with a contemporary, vivid style and originality – the history of Belarus and some song lyrics have been visualized through animation and graphics. The Songs of Old Europe also contains authentic footage from the early and late 1900’s, as well as battle scenes shot at different medieval festivals in Belarus. Attentive viewers can even spot a local element: the opening scene was shot in Bremerton, Washington. It is the only area in Washington state that resembles Belarus, a forested country, with many lakes and swamps but no mountains. And of course, there is music – a mix of ancient songs and modern versions of the songs, performed by groups such as Troitsa and Vuraj from Belarus.
TEASER
RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK
These unique songs are gradually disappearing. Political and economic shifts, technological progress and the devastation brought by the meltdown of the nuclear reactor in Chernobyl in 1986 have had an eroding effect on the Belarusian singing tradition, therefore making the documentary was a race against the clock.
Some of the authentic singers, or "babushkas" in The Songs of Old Europe have passed away, even before they had the chance to see themselves on screen. “I’ve worked as hard as I can,” says Volya, “so our singing stars will be able to see the film and know that people around the world will talk about them and listen to their songs before it’s their time to go.” Even more importantly, Volya has ensured that this piece of living history will stay alive.
Some of the authentic singers, or "babushkas" in The Songs of Old Europe have passed away, even before they had the chance to see themselves on screen. “I’ve worked as hard as I can,” says Volya, “so our singing stars will be able to see the film and know that people around the world will talk about them and listen to their songs before it’s their time to go.” Even more importantly, Volya has ensured that this piece of living history will stay alive.
BABUSHKAS WATCHING FINISHED DOCUMENTARY IN MAY 2016