Athlete from Poltava region Ivan Piddubnyi was extremely popular at the turn of the ХІХ and ХХ centuries. He was called “the champion among the champions”. But in his personal life, Ivan was not always happy, though he had been married a few times. Piddubnyi went from being an ordinary circus performer to the winner of the most prestigious sports awards of the world. He abandoned his career in sports several times, but had to return to the arena, because he needed to earn his living. Find out about the story of Piddubnyi’s way to the pinnacle of fame, and how he ended his life in poverty – in the documentary series “The Game of Fate” by VIATEL Studio narrated by Natalka Sopit.
- Script by Vasyl Obraz
- Narrations Natali Sopit, Taras Denysenko
- Directed by Vasyl Obraz
- Director of photography Georgij Kryvoshejenko
- Sound Oleg Golovoshkin
- Editor Oleg Tudoran
- Make up Zhanna Betrozova
- Costume LAURA ASHLEY ™
- Music De Wolfe Music
- Camera Oleksandr Demydenko
- Executive producer Halyna Kryvorchuk
- Producer Vasyl Viter
The shooting took place at:
– in Kobzov Circus
– at the Museum of Circus Arts of Kobzov Circus Association
– at the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Pyrohiv
– at the Kyiv River Port JSC
We used:
-the H.S. Pshenychnyi Central State Film and Photo Archive of Ukraine documents
– the fragments of the film “The Wrestler and the Clown”