“Zdob si Zdub” is the subject of a documentary film for BBC Prime

The „Zdob si Zdub” band is the subject of documentary film for the BBC Prime channel. Considered one of the most representative “products” from Basarabia, the band appears in the documentary produced by Michael Palin. The film is to be broadcasted at the beginning of the next year as part of the "New Europe" TV series, the Romanian publication “Evenimentul Zilei” reported on Wednesday October 25. The film has been realized in Valeni village, in the very household of the Bejenaru family, Lidia Bejenaru being the famous granny from the “Boonika bate doba” video. "Nothing was staged. We took the equipment with us and improvised. We also felt ourselves very free. They all singed and danced: granny, grandpa, grandsons”, the soloist of the band, Roman Iagupov relates. “The director of the film was fascinated by the Moldovan hospitality. Michael Palin was smiling all the time, with a satisfied face on”, this is Roman’s impression. In what concerns the celebrity they can gain when the film is broadcasted, the band’s members say that this aspect wasn’t taken into consideration even when they accepted the proposal of the BBC Prime channel. Till the broadcasting of the documentary, the artists will launch a new album, in November, after a pause of about three years since the last one “450 de oi”. “We hope that the new album sounds and looks well, and that the launching concert is a pleasure both for the public and for us”, the members of the band say. The album is a compilation of 18 old titles, in new presentation, but also includes new tracks. “Zdubs” changed their record label, being represented now by CatMusic, whose manager, Dan Popi, have always relied on the "basarabian receipt" and always succeeded, CatMusic’s portfolio including O-Zone or Pavel and Cleopatra Stratan. The “Zdob si Zdub” band was founded in 1994 and debuted in the same year, at a festival in Moscow. Shortly they were performing on the same stage with artists like Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rollins Band, Biohazard, Rage Against the Machine, Emir Kusturica. They launched 6 albums: "Hardcore Moldovenesc", "Zdubii bateti tare!", "Agroromantica" and "450 de oi". They also performed at the main European festivals (Sziget, Roskilde), have been aired on radio stations all over the Europe and won several international prizes. The band obtained 6th place at Eurovision 2006, being considered the revelation of the contest. Michael Palin (63), an English actor and a television presenter, also wrote screenplays for more than 40 cinema and TV productions, including “Around the World in 80 days”, “A Fish Called Wanda” and “Himalaya”. BBC Prime is an entertainment channel founded in 1995 and broadcasted in more than 100 countries from Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. The channel takes over the best programs of BBC: talk-shows, documentary films or movies. Some of the broadcasted shows are "Top of the Pops" and "EastEnders". BBC Prime is part of the BBC Worldwide, the most profitable division of BBC. The most recent documentaries created by Palin, which will be shown in the "New Europe" series, were filmed in 20 European countries, a part of which representing Central and Eastern Europe: Romania, Hungary, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Serbia.