Man Behind the Camera is a live cinematic performance by Ukrainian-Canadian composer and pianist Taras Luka, featuring an original contemporary score performed live to the legendary Ukrainian avant-garde silent film Man with a Movie Camera (1929).

Exclusive LIVE CINEMATIC CONCERT

Presented as part of the Canadian Live Performance Tour, the project reimagines one of the most influential works of avant-garde cinema through a powerful live musical interpretation for piano and electronics. During the screening, Luka performs the score live on stage, transforming the film into an immersive audiovisual experience where music and image unfold in real time.

Man with a Movie Camera is now internationally recognized as one of the most important films ever made. In the Sight & Sound critics’ poll, it was ranked among the top ten greatest films of all time and later named the greatest documentary film ever made.

Produced in Ukraine by VUFKU and filmed in Kyiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv, Man with a Movie Camera (1929) Ukrainian avant-garde film by Dziga Vertov.

Created without actors, costumes, sets, or a traditional script, the film captures a single day in the life of a modern city. Vertov documents urban life through pure cinematic form, transforming everyday reality into a dynamic visual symphony through radical editing, rhythmic montage, and bold visual experimentation.

Equally revolutionary, the film was originally presented without music and without spoken words, making it one of the most powerful examples of visual storytelling in the history of cinema.

Man with a Movie Camera remains highly popular across Europe and is regularly presented at cinematheques and festivals, including programmes by the British Film Institute, the British Council, and the Ukrainian Institute. These screenings reflect the film’s lasting influence within European film culture.

About Taras Luka

Taras Luka is an award-winning Ukrainian composer and music director with an established international career across Europe and North America. His work “Choral of Freedom” world premiered at Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Teatro Verdi (Italy) under conductor Oksana Lyniv as part of the international Concerto per la Pace initiative with the Italian Red Cross.

Taras is the composer of major theatrical and musical productions, including Romeo & Juliet, Heart in Half, Buka, and In Captivity. His works have received national recognition in Ukraine, including composer nominations for the Revutsky Award, Lyatoshynsky Award, and the GRA National Theatre Award (“Ukrainian Theatre Oscar”).

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Pricing

General $33.00 ($30.00 base price + $3.00 service charge)

All above prices are in CAD and include GST.

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A service fee is added for box office costs, card processing, and taxes. Man With a Movie Camera service fees are non-refundable.