Oleksandr Frazé-Frazénko is a filmmaker, writer, musician, and activist. his body-of-work includes several hundred films, music videos, and advertising. he authored a dozen books of poetry; his feature documentaries and fictional short films gathered numerous international awards and nominations throughout the years. his feature documentary 'An Aquarium in the Sea' gave a second birth to a modernist literature movement among the youngest generation of Ukrainian writers.
his last book in Ukrainian 'Decadence' (2017) is recognized as a bestseller by the biggest bookstore chain in Ukraine, Ye Bookstore. his newest book in English 'Happy Lovers' (2021) has been shortlisted for the prestigious Ukrainian American Kovaliv Prize. he was the first to have translated Jim Morrison’s poetry into Ukrainian and published it in 2013. the volume was sold out in one day during the presentation at the Kurbas Theatre in Lviv. it immediately became a collector's item.
as a visual artist he had several personal art exhibitions. his works are in private collections in various countries worldwide.
as a musician, he's one of the leading names in the Ukrainian experimental scene. also works with orchestral, indie rock, and rap music, and gained over 1 million streams on Spotify last year total.
during the first year of Russia’s war against Ukraine, he stayed in Ukraine, got involved in a volunteer movement, and worked for BBC and other media as a producer, filmmaker, and journalist to spread the truth about the situation, the context, and the historical background.
a Japanese filmmaker and war journalist Yoshitaka Nitta shot a documentary about Frazé-Frazénko in 2022. "A direct and in-depth Interview exploring the mind and motivation of the leader, visionary, artist, and entrepreneur who is changing our world. A poet living in western Ukraine, created rap songs to call for resistance to Russian invasion. He speaks to the world for people to realize more about what is currently happening in Ukraine."
UA Post TV talks about a Chicago premiere of the feature documentary "An Aquarium in the Sea" by Oleksandr Frazé-Frazénko. the film tells the story of the New York Group of Poets, founded in the 1950s. Ukrainian-speaking poets who grew up in the English-speaking world in the mid-twentieth century are trying to preserve their culture and bring it to the world level. the screening was a part of the North American Aquarium premiere tour in 2016 and took place in the Ukrainian Institute of Modern art in Chicago.
The Ukrainian digital broadcasting station, Hromarske TV, produced a documentary on Oleksandr's film "The House on the Seven Winds" in 2016. Frazé-Frazénko persistently delves into his nuanced interpretation of diaspora and its often underestimated significance in a post-Soviet Ukraine. "The House" vividly portrays the conflict of the displaced neighborhood in an almost surreal artistic manner, unfolding through the persona and works of Vasyl Makhno.
a rare opportunity to glimpse behind the scenes of filmmaker Oleksandr Frazé-Frazénko's work, this BTS footage was captured in Kyiv in 2019 during the filming of the music video "Machina" for the Canadian-Ukrainian band Balaklava Blues. the music video itself unveils political and social statements in a dream-like, satirical manner. check it out here.