Kateryna Osadcha, Masha Yefrosinina and Kateryna Kukhar #forforests: Ukrainian Celebrities Parading Mavka Looks

Kateryna Osadcha, Masha Yefrosinina and Kateryna Kukhar were portrayed in Mavka images in a social art video directed by Olga Navrotska (NAVRO), with the music created by Oleg “Fahot” Mykhaylyuta.

The video is dedicated to the presentation of Mavchyn Oberig (Mavka’s Pendant), a joint creation of two brands: Mavka. The Forest Song animated film and OBERIG jewelry house, partnered by World Wide Fund in Ukraine. All project participants share common philosophy and social responsibility; that is why the video is not just an artistic piece but also carries a social purpose: to draw attention to the environmental issues, in particular the destruction of Ukrainian forests. The pendant is also part of a charity campaign because a portion of funds obtained in the sales of Mavchyn Oberig will be directed to the environmental campaign Home for the Lynx.  

The video’s idea is to show the beauty, magic and vulnerability of Ukrainian forest and its mythical inhabitants who use their natural powers trying to protect their home from ecological disasters provoked by humans and their thoughtless treatment of natural resources.  

“The most important thing in this video for me is its goal, which is to shed the light on the contamination of forests gradually transforming into dumps, to say nothing of their ruthless cutting. I hope that our Mavkas and the magic Oberig will help us raise this issue. And we’ll also collect funds for the Lynx which has been included in the Red Book.

The music for this video was created by Fahot; he used fragments of Ukrainian songs Oy Moya Dibrovonka (Oh My Forest) and Viter Viye Trava Shumyt (Wind Blows, Grass Rustles), the latter being a song from Bukovyna performed by Rakhilya Rusnak. These songs are an ideal fit emotionally”, — says Olga Navrotska.  

You can watch the video if you follow this link: youtu.be/-7G5QQRJB3k

“We are grateful to Olga Navrotska and our celebrities for the art video, which is the best presentation of Mavchyn Oberig to the wide audience. This jewelry piece is a part of our Mavka brand and of our future cartoon, and the talisman itself is a symbol of environmental awareness; it has Ukrainian visual code embedded into it”, — says Anna Eliseeva.  

In the exclusive article by JetSetter announcing the art video release you can see the photos of celebrity characters showcasing Mavka looks.  

Mavchyn Oberig pendant is an ancient rune symbolizing the harmony of four elements and preserving female beauty through strengthening inner energy and natural female magic. Mavka, the cartoon’s protagonist, is adorned with such rune singling her out as a keeper of the Forest. Now, thanks to the professionals from OBERIG jewelry house, the power of primeval symbols has found its embodiment in a limited series of sophisticated jewelry pieces made of copper and silver.  

“This pendant will vest its owner with primordial power and make her the Keeper of natural treasures in her native land: 100 UAH from the sales of each Mavchyn Oberig are transferred to the account of WWF in Ukraine to protect the rare and noble species of Lynx and its habitat, Ukrainian forests. Every day Mavchyn Oberig will remind you that the world becomes better when we do”, — says Iryna Kostyuk, explaining the Oberig’s philosophy.  

“When creating the pendant, we wished to find the balance of creative energy and, naturally, powerful love. That is why you see a green leaf in its foundation, meaning fight for nature in all world languages, and the symbol of four elements on its surface. For us it is important that apart from creative cooperation this piece of jewelry will also serve an environmental mission. If you are now holding your Mavchyn Oberig in your hands, you have already done something good for our planet”, — says Tetyana Kondratyuk, OBERIG brand founder.

“My own way of life is as environmentally conscious as possible, and my dream is for each of us to do as much as we can to preserve Ukrainian nature, in particular its forests. Natural treasures are invaluable and unfortunately exhaustible”, — said Katya Osadcha sharing her impressions.  

Kateryna Kukhar says: “Mavka image is close to my heart because I dance this part in The Forest Song ballet. That is why I tried Mavka’s magic look on with great pleasure; it was created by director and designer Olga Navrotska especially for Mavchyn Oberig project. I am delighted that Ukrainian animation and cinema develop and our professionals already compete internationally, thereby telling about Ukraine all over the world.”  

“Mavka is an incredible and deep image of Ukrainian culture, and lynx is a unique animal for our nature. All this is combined in a beautiful and talented idea, and I am very happy to be among the women bringing it to life”, — says Masha Yefrosinina, project participant.  

Here is the video’s creative team:

Idea, direction – Olga Navrotska  

Artistic consulting – Maria Kvitka

Cameraman – Dmytro Peretrutov

Makeup – Svitlana Rymakova

Soundtrack – Oleg “Fahot” Mykhaylyuta

Producers – Iryna Kostyuk, Anna Eliseeva

The authors of Mavka. The Forest Song animated film have repeatedly  emphasized the significance of the project’s environmental mission, which is about turning the society’s attention towards the cutting of Ukrainian forests and the extinction of rare animal species. Together with the project’s partner WWF in Ukraine, Mavka brand started a long-term charity campaign Home for the Lynx. The funds will be collected during the launch of all Mavka brand formats (Universe): books, shows, exhibitions, clothing, toys, jewelry collections – and will last until and during the cartoon’s release. The funds will also be accumulated on WWF platforms in Ukraine.  

For example, a series of books in film covers has been published; a portion of funds from their sales is transferred to the campaign’s account.

To purchase the pendant, you can follow this link: Mavka`s pendant.

Follow the news on our website, Facebook and Instagram. We’ll be informing you about the new details and results of Home for the Lynx campaign and tell you how you can participate in our initiatives to preserve forests and rare animal species in Ukraine.  

FYI. Mavka. The Forest Song is the second animation feature made by Ukrainian animation studio Animagrad (FILM.UA Group), now in its pre-production process. The animated feature film is based on a play The Forest Song by Lesya Ukrainka as well as on Ukrainian myths and cultural traditions. The experts of leading ethnography institutions in Ukraine – Department of Folklore Studies in Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, Ivan Honchar Museum, and Ukrainian Fashion History Museum – are working with the film crew on the interpretations of Ukrainian myths, legends, customs, rituals and visual culture in a unique animated world of Mavka. DakhaBrakha, a globally known Ukrainian folk band, has joined in to create the film’s soundtrack. Mavka. The Forest Song won the 9th competition of Ukrainian State Film Agency in September 2016 and received state funding amounting to 30 percent of its total budget. The preliminary release date for the animated feature film Mavka. The Forest Song - 2020 year.