Synopsis

​ U YEN is a Mari band of eight young musicians from the Yoshkar-Ola region of Russia and beyond. The band is characterized by their search for a new sound by combining traditional folk instruments with modern electronic beats. They are talented, colorful, and different, but they share a common idea: to preserve and promote Mari culture through art. But is the Mari culture ready for their experiments?

Program Note

​ Old and young, dressed in traditional and modern attire, gather in a peaceful rural setting. Out of nowhere, the U YEN band truck bursts onto the scene. They are an eclectic music band that masterfully combines traditional Mari instruments with the electrifying elements of rock and roll, rap, and electronic music. Their genre-defying sound unites people of different backgrounds. Edik, Ivan, Henry, Robert, and Rosa create "unbounded and uncommon" music, or as Edik calls it, "a quack." Rural adults watch their performances with a mix of awe and confusion in rustic. (Kim Song-hee)

Director

• 
  • Denis Shably
  • Director and screenwriter. Graduated Ostankino University of Film and Television(2018) and Mikhalkov Academy of Cinematographic and Theatre Arts(2020). The winner of the National Youth Film Award for the Best Film Shot on a Smartphone(2020), the Award for Kindness in Art "For Peace"(2021), the Mari El State Youth Award Named After Olyk Ipai(2022). In 2021, he was awarded the title of the Person of the Region by the informational agency SM-News.