Film-maker from Plymouth gains taste of life in war-torn Ukraine

DOCUMENTARY HIGHLIGHTS COUNTRY'S MUSIC SCENE

- By ANDY PHILLIPS

A PLYMOUTH film-maker who travelled to Ukraine for a screening of a documentary exploring how drum and bass artists from the embattled nation are continuing to create tracks against the backdrop of war said it was a 'humbling' experience.

Mark Sumner recently travelled to the city Lviv for the screening of the documentary Resonance Beyond Borders: The Sounds of Ukraine, which was created by the film-maker together with his business partner Tom Waller who are together known as SW Productions.

The 30-minute documentary has been more than a year in the making, as the duo have been working on it since March 2024, and it is now being shown at venues across Europe.

Mark said the idea was sparked by an appearance of drum and bass collaborative Sounds of Ukraine (SOU) at London nightclub Fabric, and it felt like 'a story that needed to be told.'

With camera footage filmed by a Ukrainian partner, the documentary explores the lives of five Ukrainian artists who navigate the chaos of war while expressing their struggles, hopes, and identities through their music.

The journey into Ukraine has also proven a moving personal experience for Mark, who mixed with both DJs who inspired the film, and amputees who have come from the front line.