Danila Okulov

As a student at the National Music Academy in Kyiv, Denis takes his graduation project very seriously. But he doesn’t want to be absorbed by the routine of formal examinations. He decides to revisit and present a new edition of The Barber of Seville, bringing to the stage young and unknown vocal talents, and motivating the artists to sing and recite in Italian, the opera’s original language. What does it mean to be both a student and a conductor? How do you deal with organisational problems and a hostile orchestra, unwilling to collaborate? How do you get through all of this without lowering the artistic standards your mentor has been teaching you for the past few years?

A granddaughter experiencing the invasion of Ukraine reflects about past generations, who were constantly going through deportations, different forms of wars and genocides.