On February 24th, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, enveloping the country in bloodshed and destruction. As Ukraine’s third city and its biggest Black Sea port, Odesa has remained firmly in Moscow’s sights ever since. It has been shelled repeatedly. Crimea and the front line are less than a hundred miles away.
But in the face of terror, the Odesa Philharmonic, one of Ukraine’s foremost orchestras, plays on. Some of the orchestra’s members, like clarinetist Yuri Hagatz, double as ambulance drivers and medics at the front. But they continue to perform, and audiences continue to show up.
Odesa, the film, is an inspiring account of this extraordinary act of defiance, of a city that has been a thriving multi-cultural hub for centuries, and of the will to go on creating and performing against all the odds. It is also a portrait of a remarkable group of artists and their American principal conductor, Hobart Earle. Under his leadership, over the last thirty years, the Odesa philharmonic has risen to become one of Europe’s finest orchestras.
In 2023, they are planning to play two concerts: one in Moldova and one in London at the famous Proms festival. The film follows them, exploring their relationships, the drives that motivate them, the ties that bind them, and their amazing ability to move and inspire audiences.
Odesa — a portrait of hope and the creative spirit in the face of terror.
FILM OUTLINE
The film begins in the beautiful port city of Odesa, “Pearl of the Black Sea”, just declared a UNESCO Heritage Site, now under relentless bombardment by Russian forces.
We meet the first of our central characters: American conductor Hobart Earle who has lived in Odesa and led the Odesa Philharmonic for thirty years. His wife is Ukrainian and speaks the language fluently (as well as German, French, Spanish, and Russian). Under his leadership, the orchestra has become one of the best in Eastern Europe — but very few people know about it. Hopefully, that is about to change.
Pending our first research/shoot trip we are not sure who the other central characters will be, but one could be first-clarinetist Yuri Hagatz, who when he is not playing and rehearsing, drives an ambulance to and from the front lines, just a hundred miles away.
The third central character will be a woman musician, possibly violinist Halyna Zhukova, who as well as playing in the orchestra, has the harrowing task of raising a family in the middle of war.
What drives these people to keep performing under the constant threat of bombardment? Why do audiences keep showing up and putting their lives in danger to do it? And how can a provincial city in a war-torn country possibly produce a world-class orchestra?
These are the questions that drive Odesa. It explores them as the orchestra rehearses for a major international concert that hopefully will make the world aware of its amazing achievement. The film will follow its characters and the orchestra on their journey, taking them first to Chisinau, Moldova, the exit city for Odesa (closer than Kyiv), and culminating in a performance at the Proms in London, one of the most famous festivals in the world. Is this the moment when the orchestra will finally shine? (The venue at the Proms is not certain yet. We are working hard on it. If not, it will be another prominent music festival.)
But the first act is all Odesa. The film establishes its characters and, through them, this remarkable city of the arts where for centuries, Ukrainians, Jews, Turks, and Russians mingled and traded. Invaders and pogroms came and went but the city’s multiculturalism and its arts persisted. Now, war threatens once again. Hobart’s house outside the city has been flattened by a missile. Halyna lives in constant fear for the lives of her family. Yuri has no idea what tomorrow will bring but keeps playing and driving his ambulance, impelled by an inner need. What is that inner need?
Everybody’s lives have been turned upside down by the war. But amidst the devastation, the orchestra’s concerts have become a beacon of sanity for its musicians and the people of Odesa alike. Concerts, sometimes performed by kerosene lamps because the electricity grid has been bombed, have taken on an atmosphere of almost religious reverence. Why do people come? — for respite from the war? to be inspired? to remember beauty? to feel hope once again? The film meets audience members who tell us their stories.
The style of Odesa will be verité. It will follow its central characters and their conflicts as they prepare and then leave for the tour, always looking for intimacy and authenticity as it explores their fears and motivations.
Odesa is about a city at war but above all, it is about music. The orchestra does not want to be applauded because they are victims of conflict, they want to be recognized for the fine orchestra they have become. Hobart, the total perfectionist, drills and drives them relentlessly as they rehearse. He knows they will be performing alongside some of the greatest orchestras in the world. He is determined that they should shine.
And then the moment comes to leave. Everyone’s emotions are mixed: fear for the people they leave behind, excitement, guilt about leaving, and perhaps many other emotions too. Away from their homes, our characters reveal themselves even more. Here in the film’s central act, the film digs deeper into the lives of its protagonists.
The first stop is Chisinau, Moldova, where they will play their first concert, a taste of what is to come.
From there it is on to London. We cannot know exactly what will happen there but the Proms performance (or performance at another prominent festival) will probably be received rapturously. It will include pieces by Ukrainian composers, full of the fierce intensity and sorrow of that country. In the minds of the audience, it will conjure the whole heartrending tragedy and defiance of Ukraine, one of the great dramas of our time. Our characters will feel an outpouring of admiration and love from the audience. What will they feel? This will be the powerful and highly emotional climax of the film.
Finally, in the epilogue, the orchestra returns to Odesa where life and the war continue. The final images of the film will be of them performing once again, creating solace and beauty, reminding us of the extraordinary power of music to transport and console, even in a time of war.
THE PRODUCTION
Odesa is a collaboration between twice Emmy-nominated director/writer Graham Townsley of Shining Red Productions and executive producer Gail Prensky of The Judische Kulturbund Project. This award-winning team has already collaborated on the feature film project, SINGER, a story of Jewish artists struggling to survive and create in 1930s Germany, for which Graham wrote the screenplay. The film is now in development.
Gail and her partner Mark Haney have directed field projects in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean supporting artists in the face of poverty and oppression.
All participants feel called to this project. They are in the process of assembling their production team. To achieve the visual power and intimacy the film aims for, Odesa will be shot by a world-class Ukrainian cinematographer — probably Alysa Kovalenko. The sound recordist and crew also will be Ukrainian.
The producers are now seeking funding and support so that the film can go into production in 2023.