Today is the 24th of August, which is celebrated in Ukraine as Independence Day. For me that means going to a celebration with Ukrainian friends and acquaintances in a nearby town. But, as part of that I wanted to share a little anecdote. And give you a movie tip.
Last year a friend gave me a book with the title “Лісова пісня” (Lisova pisnya), or the Forest Song. It is a poetic play written in the early 1900s by Lesya Ukrainka, and is an early example of Ukrainian fantasy literature. I did my best to start to read it, but at the time it was a bit challenging I must admit.
Anyway, fast forward about a year, to the yearly Animation Festival in the town where I live. During this festival, I had the privilege of watching the Ukrainian 3d-animated movie Mavka.
First of all, I can recommend everyone to see it, if you have the possibility. It’s very well made and looks stunning. Furthermore, during the credits, I thought I saw some familiar words. Along the lines of the movie being based on the play Лісова пісня. So, I rushed home (ok, rushed is maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but still). When I got home I looked at the book again and flipped through it, and saw all the familiar names from the movie. So, I had the story behind the movie at home, without me knowing about it. But it did make me even more motivated to read through the book one day.
