A 65-minute documentary about a unique Ukrainian phenomenon — folk-metal based on the motanka doll. Premiere 15 August 2026.
Documentary 'Dolls and Metal: The Motanka Story' (65 minutes) releases on ARTE.tv platform on 15 August 2026. Director — Mykola Dakovych, Kinokil Prize 2024 laureate for the documentary 'Tape Player'. The film is the result of 18 months of work by a Ukrainian-German crew in three locations: Kropyvnytskyi (the band's hometown), Berlin (festival performances), Carpathians (with folklore). Film structure: I. 'Motanka Doll' (15 min) — cultural studies of the ritual doll in Ukrainian tradition (with ethnologist Roman Kys); II. 'Metal from Kropyvnytskyi' (15 min) — how the idea emerged to make a folk-metal band based on the motanka doll; III. 'Language of Europe' (20 min) — band's integration into the global metal scene; IV. 'Kupalo Metal' (15 min) — about the new festival (see separate news). The film contains 6 exclusive interviews: 5 Motanka members (4 hours of footage), Taras Kompanychenko (about collaboration — see separate news), composer Mykhailo Khai (about folk-metal in European context), musicologist Kira Robertson (one of the most renowned names in world metal criticism). The film received an early Berlinale 2026 award in Best Music Documentary category, and is nominated for César 2027.
