Documenting Nastia’s life as a touring DJ and a refugee from Ukraine. The film follows the journey of the techno heavyweight as she navigates life after hearing the shocking news that her country had been invaded.
Countries
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Superstar DJ
Views on YouTube
Global Platform
Beatport set us the task of finding engaging stories in the world of electronic music, in order to ignite their foray into documentary coverage. We pitched two strands of films and this is the launch episode for the long-awaited ‘Off The Record’ series.
We had been investigating the burgeoning club scene in Kyiv before the war started at the beginning of 2022. We were planning to visit in Spring when the weather had warmed up and the clubs would have been bustling, then the unthinkable happened and Russia invaded Ukraine. We stayed in touch with our contacts on the ground as they took up arms to defend their country and livelihood.
Nastia stood out as the figurehead of the scene and we decided to focus on her story. As plans progressed we were drawn into her world, spending time with her on tour as she continued to fight against the war in her own way, DJing and raising money to send back home. The project culminated with her first trip back to Kyiv to meet her family. Although there were many logistical challenges, we had to document this trip. We collaborated remotely with a local filmmaker on the production.
We kept our finger on the pulse and moved quickly to document the story, providing a platform for the artist in a timely manner and ultimately helping their campaign to raise funds for Ukraine. We had to think on our feet, deal with difficult subject matters and pivot plans to make the best film possible, ultimately capturing the epic journey back to Kyiv. The film was emotionally testing, showing the resolve of our crew whose experience of working in difficult situations and environments shone through.
We helped Beatport launch the documentary arm of their business, engaging their audience on a deeper level and increasing the reach of their channels.
'Filming my first trip back to Kyiv since I fled home was extremely important for me; without that my story won’t be complete, so I am absolutely grateful to the team for making it happen. The whole team were so easy going and I definitely could trust them with my story. The process was smooth and friendly, careful and professional. Lots of respect to everybody involved; I feel like I became a part of something special' - Nastia, DJ
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