Cello in the Time of War is 30 minute documentary about Ukraine’s existential struggle to uncover, preserve, and celebrate their cultural identity battered by the manipulations of history, amidst the devastation and upheaval of Russia’s current invasion. The film follows Matt Haimovitz, a celebrated Israeli-born American-Canadian cellist, as he travels throughout Ukraine to support the musical and cultural identity at risk of disappearing. The tension of war and peace ebbs and flows. Sirens blare, sending Haimovitz into bomb shelters from day one. Outside of the magnificent stages of the Opera Houses and Philharmonic Halls of Odesa, Kyiv, Lviv, and Vinnytsia, Haimovitz takes his cello to Lviv’s bustling city streets, as well as a bookstore/café, before playing at an open air farmers market. In Kyiv, a sobering visit with wounded soldiers at the orthopedic surgery ward leads to a moving invitation from a soldier to have the cellist sign his battalion’s banner. Under threat of missile attack, in the bomb shelter of the celebrated Stolyarsky Music School – founded by the teacher of legendary violinist David Oistrakh – Haimovitz encounters a young girls’ choir singing Ukrainian songs, and begins to teach a young budding cellist, beacons of hope. Also in Odesa, a visit to a Chabad synagogue connects Haimovitz to his own Jewish roots. An impromptu performance at the iconic Potemkin Steps creates a bridge to Odesa’s rich cinematic history. In Vinnytsia, Haimovitz plays J.S. Bach’s Sarabande from Suite V, “an extension of silence,” on the ashes of a stage, the ruins of The House of Officers.
In each of the four cities, the music of de Hartmann, played by Haimovitz and the Odesa Philharmonic, fills concert halls with inspiration and solace.The musicians and audiences defy Russia’s aggression. We are reminded that military might and aggression cannot crush the creative spirit of the human imagination. Against all odds, Ukrainian society embraces the adage that music must play on. The film production is 95% complete and primarily needs post-production for completion.