Full-length documentary about Nata Zhyzhchenko's creative path and the ONUKA project — global premiere on MUBI streaming platform 30 January 2026.
Documentary 'ONUKA: The Sound of Belonging' (104 minutes) releases on MUBI platform on 30 January 2026 in global premiere format — simultaneously in 190 countries. Director — Ivan Orlenko, author of documentaries 'Miner's Glory' (2018) and 'Voice of the Ocean' (2022). The film resulted from 3 years of filming work with ONUKA. The film covers 12 years of the project's creative journey — from Zhyzhchenko's first student performance at KPI in 2013 to preparation for the 2026 world tour. Special emphasis on: 1) Zhyzhchenko's transformation after the full-scale war start — how a concert performer became a cultural ambassador; 2) the project's technological evolution — from one-woman-show to 8-member ensemble; 3) family story — Nata with her first-grader daughter Yaroslava. The film contains rare archive materials: studio sessions of the first ONUKA EP (2013), Eurovision-2017 backstage (Zhyzhchenko performed in an interval-act with Jamala), recording at Funkhaus Berlin during the war. A separate chapter is dedicated to dialogue about cultural identity in wartime — recorded January 2025 with cultural scholar Taras Lyuty (UCU Lviv). The film received an early Sundance 2026 award in Audience Award (World Documentary) category.
