"Vertep*. The Bridge" is an arthouse movie based on the staging of the modern art Christmas nativity scene "Vertep with Fellner and Helmer", which raises the issue of preserving cultural heritage in the context of the Russian war. The project is a response to the aggressor's intentions to destroy national identity, in particular by purposefully attacking Ukrainian cultural heritage. The nativity scene shows a wide range of Ukrainian traditions (nativity drama, carols, folk instruments, clothes, symbols) in a modern context. The vertep will be staged by the former director of the Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was cynically destroyed by the aggressor. This way we want to revitalize this cultural institution, which became the last humanitarian island of hope in Mariupol and, in fact, was forced to become part of the intangible cultural heritage of Ukraine.

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The roles: Ferdinand Fellner, Herman Helmer, Archangel Gabriel, Archangel Michael, Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus, St. Joseph, Voice of God the Father, two devils, three Kings (director, playwright and composer)

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The Vertep project is based on an innovative approach:

• Transferring traditions to the modern context

• Combination of cultural contexts: Austrian architects of the 19th century. F. Fellner and H. Helmer (authors of a number of cultural monuments in Ukraine) as heroes of the Ukrainian nativity scene

• Modernized costumes, made in the ancient technique of stamping

• Digital decorations: a projection of pre-recorded excerpts from the film about this nativity scene

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*Vertep is a Ukrainian Christmas theatre tradition known since the end of the 17th century.

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One more fact worth mentioning, is that a vertep has also become the symbol of resilience, protest and activism for the Ukrainians in the times of the Soviet Union. Thus, we are drawing a parallel between the aggressive politics of the Soviet Union formed by Russia back then and the same policy towards Ukraine being carried out by Russia right now. In the times of the Soviet Union practicing Ukrainian traditions, speaking the Ukrainian language and choosing a religion was strictly prohibited. Through the attempt to annihilate the Ukrainian traditions, Russia tried to destroy the cultural identity of the Ukrainians. A vertep has become the form of activism, when people practiced it in secret, notwithstanding the fact that they could have been killed. There is a famous story of Vasyl Stus and 18 Ukrainian cultural representatives and artists who organized a Ukrainian vertep in secret and shortly were sent to prisons and concentration camps.

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Click to check out how our previous vertep titled "Vertep with Gareth Jones" looked like.

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The staging is planned for December 2024 in Vienna, Austria.

The screening is planned for 2025/26.

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We are looking for partnership and collaboration with:

smm, designer;

theatres, cinemas, cultural spaces (Ukraine, Austria, EU, US, Canada)

international institutions and diplomatic organizations, Ukrainian institutions;

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