Under the direction of our colleague Maxim Kravchinsky, our team is launching SHADOWS OF UKIYO-E—a documentary centered on Tim Kachurov, a passionate collector devoted to the timeless beauty of Japanese woodblock prints.

Tim’s journey began unexpectedly: a single print in an antique shop caught his eye on a walk to school—and it changed everything. Since then, he has spent years studying and collecting ukiyo-e, drawn to its color, line, design, and dreamlike compositions. Over time, and through hard-earned experience alongside experts and dealers, Tim has assembled a remarkable collection spanning nearly 200 years of Japanese printmaking. He has also shared his knowledge through talks and lectures, including at the Royal Ontario Museum and the University of Toronto.

Preparations are officially in full swing. We recently visited antique dealer Kaoru Kamimura with Tim to scout locations and plan two upcoming shoot days—an interview and a collection-buying scene. Our first shoot is set for February.

We also had a great meeting with Katie Kilroy-Marac, PhD (Associate Professor of Anthropology at UofT), who joins the project as one of our lead experts.

Stay tuned—more soon.

#ShadowsOfUkiyoE #UkiyoE #JapaneseArt #WoodblockPrints #ArtDocumentary #BehindTheScenes #TorontoArts #FilmProduction

We’ve officially started filming our new documentary project – a powerful story about Dr. Mariia and the ASSIST Ukraine program.

This film will follow her journey from a war-zone hospital in Ukraine to advanced surgical training in Canada, and back -where she will use her new skills to save lives on the frontlines.

More updates are coming soon as we continue capturing this remarkable story of courage, knowledge, and international solidarity. Wishing the very best of luck to our director, Olena Tumanska, and every crew member bringing this story to life.

#Documentary #ASSISTUkraine #MedicalCourage #UkraineToCanada #BehindTheScenes

Assiatou Madina Diallo is a Toronto-based entrepreneur, mother, and outspoken feminist whose life journey began in Guinea, a small country in West Africa.

Behind her open smile and natural confidence lies a past marked by hardship, loss, and difficult choices. Despite many unfortunate and even tragic events in her life, Assiatou never abandoned her belief that she could become the best of the best. For her, life was never about compromise — it was always all or nothing.

This film is an intimate portrait of resilience, ambition, and inner strength. It tells the story of a woman who refused to be defined by trauma, geography, or expectations, and instead chose to build her own future in a new country.

The film is produced by ECG Productions and is one of the works from our archive that we are now making freely available on our YouTube channel. It is part of a ten-part documentary project dedicated to the stories of immigrant women in Canada — women who rebuilt their lives far from their countries of origin and shaped a new sense of home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv2cQXo156s

TEGS: Assiatou Madina Diallo, immigrant women in Canada, women immigrants Canada, African women in Canada, immigrant stories, feminist stories, African diaspora, Guinea, West Africa, Toronto documentary, Canadian documentary, documentary film, women documentary, migration stories, resilience, ECG Productions, ECGProductions, producer Gregory Antimony, Marina Dessiatkina documentary, women in Canada series

#Virsky #pavlovirsky #VirskyDanceEnsemble #UkrainianDance #SovietHistory #KGBArchives #HistoricalDocumentary #DocumentaryFilm #ECGProductions #OlgaAntimony #AnatoliiMateshko #MiroslavDelev

Our team under the direction of Irina Volkova continues its progress on the documentary project “From Violence to Violins.”
The main focus of our film is The Hammer Band — founded by violinist and peace builder Moshe Hammer.

Here are recent impressions from our director, Irina Volkova, on the feeling behind this project:

Standing in a classroom where instruments replace anger… where music interrupts cycles… where a bow and four strings give children a different future — you feel it inside the body. These kids are powerful. They are curious. They are talented.

Grateful to Moshe Hammer and the team for opening their world and letting us witness this work that changes lives quietly — but profoundly. 

#FromViolenceToViolins #TheHammerBand #MosheHammer #Documentary #Peacemaking #MusicChangesLives #Toronto #ArtsInSchools #FutureOfPublicSafety #docfilmmaking #ECGProductionsCanada

 The documentary project “Dovlatov: the Unknown Pages”, directed by our colleague Max Kravchinsky and with Artem Borodin as Director of Photography, is entering its final stage.

Last week, we filmed the final scene on the picturesque shore of Lake Ontario, with a stunning view of downtown in the background.
The last day of shooting is scheduled for mid-November, as we eagerly await the completion of a special prop — the details of which remain a surprise for now 

 The film will premiere on RTVi (Canada) early next year, followed by presentations in New York, Toronto, and Montreal.

#DovlatovTheUnknownPages #DocumentaryFilm #OnSet #Filming #BehindTheScenes #LakeOntario #Toronto #RTVi #MaxKravchinsky #ArtemBorodin #Premiere #FilmMaking #CanadianCinema #NewYork #Montreal #TorontoEvents #ECG #ECGProductions #ecgproductionscanada

After recording an episode of The Interview Hour with Oleksandr Borodulia, artist of the Pavlo Virsky National Ensemble.

Once an artist — always an artist! Even years after leaving the stage, you can still feel the breath of performance, the spirit of the ensemble, and the love for art in every movement and every glance.

Today, Oleksandr lives in Canada, but he remains Ukrainian — not just by passport, but in soul, in heart, in every gesture and every word. Ukraine lives within him, no matter where he is.

Dance is not just a profession. It’s a state of soul that stays with you forever.

#GregoryAntimony #VirskyEnsemble #OleksandrBorodulia #ECGProductions #DanceOfLife #InterviewHour #DocumentaryFilm #UkrainianCulture #UkrainianDance

On August 10, 2025, Gia Kancheli would have turned 90. On that day, a special screening of the documentary “Gia Kancheli: I Used to Hate the Clarinet” will take place in Toronto — a poignant film in which we hear the composer’s own voice, his music, his pauses, and his silence.

“Gia Kancheli: I Used to Hate the Clarinet” is more than just a musical portrait. It is an intimate story about a brilliant composer — the author of symphonic and chamber works, whose music became beloved by millions through unforgettable soundtracks for films such as Mimino, Hanuma, Kin-dza-dza, Passport, and Don’t Grieve.

Kancheli himself jokingly called his most recognizable melody — the theme from Mimino (“Chito-Gvrito”) — “venereal,” as it was too catchy and light for his taste. Yet it made his name known to a wider audience.

This is the last film made during Kancheli’s lifetime — a project he actively participated in, down to suggesting the final title. There is no narrator. Just Gia and his friends. Among them — renowned clarinetist Julian Milkis, to whom Kancheli once said: “You’re a charming young man… but I hate the clarinet.”

 The special screening in Toronto will take place on August 10 — the day the composer would have turned 90.
The event will feature the film’s creative team and Julian Milkis, who recently returned from a concert tour across Ukraine with the music of Kancheli.

This is more than a screening.
It is a warm tribute — and a conversation that continues.

#GiyaKancheli #IKancheli90 #IUsedToHateTheClarinet #KancheliFilm #DocumentaryFilm #MusicDocumentary #TorontoScreening #GeorgianComposer #Mimino #Kindzadza #Hanuma #PassportMovie #CinemaLegends #EasternEuropeanCinema #JulianMilkis #OlgaAntimony #GregoryAntimony #LegacyOfKancheli #FilmAboutKancheli