Exciting new progress on Shadows of Ukiyo-e

We recently completed our interview with Tim Kachurov for the documentary project Shadows of Ukiyo-e, directed by our colleague Maxim Kravchinsky. The visual concept of the shoot was especially unique — each question was accompanied by a carefully selected image in the background, featuring original photogravures from Tim’s private collection.

The very next day brought another unforgettable moment for our crew. We had the rare chance to film Tim during an online auction and capture the exact moment he successfully acquired a new Japanese woodblock print — an intimate glimpse into the true passion, excitement, and dedication behind art collecting.

Director: Maxim Kravchinsky

#ShadowsOfUkiyoE #Documentary #BehindTheScenes #ArtCollecting #JapaneseArt #WoodblockPrint #TimKachurov #MaximKravchinsky #ECGProductionsCanada

A powerful moment for Dmitri Hvorostovsky: The Last Concert 

Yesterday (April 20) in New York , we filmed a pivotal interview with Constantine Orbelian.

One of the most distinguished musicians of our time , Orbelian shared a deep artistic bond with Dmitri Hvorostovsky spanning over two decades. Together, they recorded 23 albums — including four Grammy-nominated works, two during Dmitri’s lifetime and two more after his passing

Dmitri Hvorostovsky — a legendary baritone whose voice captivated audiences around the world — left an unforgettable mark on classical music before his life was cut short by cancer

Directed by Maxim Kravchinsky
Director of Photography: Artem Borodin

#DmitriHvorostovsky #TheLastConcert #Documentary #OperaLegend #ClassicalMusic #MaximKravchinsky #ArtemBorodin #NewYork #MusicLegacy #ECGProductionsCanada

There are people who don’t wait for a space to be created for them — they create it themselves. Lilia Skliar — a poet, director, and the founder of the theater project “The Wonderful Cat”— is one of them. She was born in Birobidzhan, a place where “Yiddish flowed like birdsong in the mornings,” where names like Binyamin, Golda, and Itzik were heard in cramped communal apartments, and where childhood was both a small world and an entire universe.

Her journey is one of multiple migrations, changes of countries, professions, and languages: journalism, Israel, Canada. And each time — an attempt to begin again. But what she truly creates is not just performances, but an environment — a place where people who have lost their footing come: new immigrants, artists, poets, those who never planned this life — and suddenly find themselves there. “When that opportunity doesn’t exist — I don’t wait. I create it myself.”

“The Wonderful Cat” began in a small café, with 20 tickets at $10 each and the idea of staging a performance. Thirty people showed up — some stood outside in the rain, watching through the windows. That’s how something real begins. Today, it is a theater, a laboratory, a meeting space where poetry, dramaturgy, and human lives intersect — where performances are born, and sometimes… love is born too.

But this conversation is not only about theater. It is about memory, about a language that is fading, about a childhood that never quite lets go: “There is no escaping this… the voice of childhood follows close behind me.” It is also about the time we live in — about a war that cannot be ignored, and about the attempt to transform pain into art. Lilia Skliar was among the first in Toronto to stage a charity performance about the war in Ukraine, with proceeds going to support those in need — because for her, theater is not an escape from reality, but a way of confronting it.

Watch the new episode of Hour of Interview with Gregory Antimony — a conversation about theater, freedom, memory, and about how a person can create meaning even when everything around them is falling apart.

Part 1:

https://youtu.be/qzVyjYf1eVA

Part 2:

https://youtu.be/wOomhigEW8w

We filmed Dr. Mariia’s final day at the hospital — the completion of her training, the return of her scrubs, and the quiet, emotional closing of an important chapter in her life.

Our documentary follows her journey from a hospital in war-torn Ukraine to advanced surgical training in Canada , before returning home with new skills that will help her save lives on the frontlines.

Director : Olena Tumanska @olena_tumanska
Camera Operators : Ivan Kyba @kinopuzzzz , Vladimir Strungar

A new update from Between Heaven and Earth 

Earlier this month, our team filmed at St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church in Hamilton, capturing a rare and deeply meaningful moment of community life — a celebration shaped by faith, tradition, and togetherness

This documentary follows the life of Father Jovan Marjanac, a Serbian Orthodox priest from Ontario — offering an intimate look into his family life, spiritual service, and the role of faith in everyday life

The Serbian community in Ontario — numbering over 50,000 people — is truly unique, preserving centuries-old traditions while building a strong, close-knit cultural identity far from their historical homeland. For our team, it has been a genuine privilege to immerse ourselves in these traditions, and especially to witness the life and journey of Father Jovan from within

These moments remain deeply relevant today — speaking to renewal, memory, and the enduring strength of community

Directed by Maxim Kravchinsky
Director of Photography: Artem Borodin 

#BetweenHeavenAndEarth #MaximKravchinsky #ArtemBorodin #DocumentaryFilm #HamiltonOntario #SerbianOrthodox #SerbianCommunity #CulturalHeritage #FaithAndTradition #CommunitySpirit #ECGProductionsCanada

Our film about Virsky has grown by one more day.

But this was more than just another filming day.

It was a meeting that will stay with us far longer than the footage itself — a meeting with Volodymyr Tymoshenko, a performer of the legendary Virsky Ensemble. A return to a life that is almost gone.

The 1960s. A time when the ensemble lived as a single organism — with extraordinary discipline, inner strength, and absolute devotion to the stage.
The 1970s. Virsky’s final years — and the first years after him.

Stories about tours, life behind the scenes, and what turned this vast group of people into a true family.

At some point, the feeling that you are making a film disappears.
You simply listen.

And you realize that in front of you is not just a witness, but a living part of that era.

We are also sharing a few still frames from archival footage I found last autumn in the Kyiv archives.

One especially moving moment: a meeting at the train station after a tour — Virsky standing nearby, and Volodymyr being welcomed by his wife and his little daughter Yulia.

A moment that holds everything: the road, the stage, and the life waiting at home.

#Virsky #VirskyEnsemble #DocumentaryFilm #UkrainianCulture #UkrainianHeritage #DanceDocumentary #BehindTheScenes #ArchivalFootage #FilmProduction #UkrainianDance #CulturalHeritage #KyivArchives #DocumentaryCinema #HistoryOnFilm #UkrainianArtists

We are very glad that we were able to purchase such an important and necessary item for our soldiers. Now they will have light, the ability to charge their phones, and even keep warm in the dugout.

These things are not just about comfort — they are about support, warmth, and the feeling that they are not forgotten. Thank you to everyone who helps and does not stay aside. Together, we are doing something truly meaningful by helping Ukraine achieve victory in this war.

#Ukraine #SupportUkraine #StandWithUkraine #HelpUkraine #UnitedForUkraine #Charity #Volunteers #AidUkraine #TogetherForVictory #GloryToUkraine

Filming continues for the documentary project “Dmitry Hvorostovsky. The Last Concert.”

On March 10, in our television studio, we recreated a vintage photographic darkroom — the kind once used to develop images before the era of digital photography. Finding an authentic photo enlarger and period equipment took time and dedication, but the result brought a unique atmosphere to the set.

One of the film’s key participants, Toronto-based professional photographer Vladimir Kevorkov, joined us for the shoot. For eight years, he documented Dmitry Hvorostovsky both on stage and behind the scenes during the singer’s visits to Canada.

During filming, we used original photographs captured by Vladimir, shared with his permission, adding a deeply personal and historical dimension to the project.

The project is directed by our colleague Maxim Kravchinsky, with cinematography by Artem Borodin and Vlad Strungar.

More updates coming soon.

#ECGProductionsCanada #Hvorostovsky #DmitryHvorostovsky #DocumentaryFilm #Filmmaking #BehindTheScenes #FilmProduction #Opera #ClassicalMusic #Photography #Darkroom #TorontoFilm #IndependentFilm #Cinema #Storytelling #FilmProject

Nikolai Terentiev is a mime clown of the legendary Snow Show.
A man who speaks without words.

Vera Pavlova is a poet.
A woman who explains love through language.

While Kolya steps onto the stage,
Vera remains at her desk.

The quiet of a hotel room.
A laptop. Drafts.
Work that requires not applause, but concentration.

She is writing a new book —
365 pages.
365 poems.
365 declarations of love.

One confession a day.
Each poem an attempt to hold a feeling
within the boundaries of a line.

If Kolya speaks through movement and silence,
Vera speaks through rhythm and breath.

He walks toward the audience in the light of the stage.
She walks toward the reader through the page.

Our film is about two ways of speaking about love.
Two forms of vulnerability.
About how play and language are both forms of labor —
daily, disciplined, real.

Sometimes applause fills a theatre.
Sometimes it happens quietly, inside a text.

#myfriendkolya
#ECGProductions
#ветераныдетства
#verapavlova
#nikolaiterentiev
#olgaantimony

The theatre hall is still empty.
The stage is waiting.

Kolya is preparing for another performance of the Snow Show.
Here he is — still without makeup. Just a man in front of a mirror.

Slowly, the image begins to appear.
First the funny clown eyebrows.
Then the eyes — slightly more open, slightly more astonished.
Then the mouth.

And, of course, the famous red nose.
And the torn gloves.

But this is not just makeup.
It is a passage.

Each time before stepping onto the stage, the same thing happens:
a person gathers himself anew —
into the one who will speak without words.

The mask does not hide.
It reveals.

A clown is not someone who simply makes people laugh.
He is someone who allows himself to be fragile in front of everyone.

Our film is about what happens before the applause.
About the moment when a grown person chooses to become a child again —
and walks toward the audience without protection.

#myfriendkolya
#ECGProductions
#ветераныдетства
#verapavlova
#nikolaiterentiev
#olgaantimony