Volodymyr Mula

Volodymyr Romanovych Mula (Ukrainian: Володимир Романович Мулà; born October 22 1989) is a Ukrainian filmmaker, producer, writer, journalist, TV-reporter. First Ukrainian director to win an Emmy Award... Honored Art Worker of Ukraine.
==Early Life==
Mula was born in the town of Horodenka in the Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, Ukraine.
In June 2006, he graduated from the Horodenka Gymnasium with a gold medal. He then entered the Faculty of Physical Engineering at the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”. Six years later, Volodymyr Mula received a Master's degree in “Materials Science & Engineering”.
==Career==
In September 2009, Volodymyr Mula founded a new Ukrainian-language online publication called TeleProstir. The website served as a platform for various forms of media content, including news, articles, and multimedia elements.
In April 2011, Volodymyr Mula received his first accreditation for the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Düsseldorf, Germany. During this event, he took the initiative to launch live broadcast studios that provided prompt and up-to-date coverage of the popular international music festival. 
In June 2014, Volodymyr Mula covered the FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, working for several media outlets, including the Ukrainian “1+1” TV channel, the TSN web portal, Lviv Radio, and Hromadske TV. 
In January 2015, Volodymyr Mula embarked on a personal project, creating a documentary film titled "American Dream". The following year, he released a sequel titled “The American Dream: In Search of the Truth”.
In June and July 2016, Volodymyr Mula served as a special correspondent for BBC News Ukrainian during UEFA Euro 2016. Following this, in August of the same year, he covered the Summer Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 
In February 2018, Volodymyr Mula took on the role of a reporter for ICTV, a major television network in Ukraine, during the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
In April 2018, Volodymyr Mula embarked on a project to create a documentary film celebrating the achievements of Ukrainians who had the remarkable distinction of winning the NHL Stanley Cup. The film, titled “UKE”, was named after the Ukrainian heritage of the players who accomplished this significant feat in the National Hockey League. The production faced challenges, particularly related to funding, which caused filming to be halted multiple times. Despite these obstacles, the Ukrainian State Film Agency provided support, enabling the project to continue. With the agency’s assistance, the film was completed and released in theaters across Ukraine on 3 December 2020. The documentary’s theme of highlighting Ukrainian athletes who achieved success on the international stage resonated strongly with audiences in Ukraine. Its release and subsequent success as the highest-grossing documentary in Ukraine underscored the public’s interest in stories celebrating the accomplishments of fellow Ukrainians. It is also notable that “UKE” is the first Ukrainian film available for viewing in its original language on four global platforms simultaneously: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube Movies & Shows.
In December 2021, Volodymyr Mula successfully completed the production of “Football Nation”, a documentary film that explores the history and achievements of Ukraine’s National Football Team. The film was created with the support of the Ukrainian State Film Agency, highlighting the significance and recognition of the national team’s 30th anniversary.
In April 2022, Volodymyr Mula worked as a director and field producer on the documentary series titled We’re “The Zoomers: Inside The World Of Today’s Teens” for the CNA television network. In the project, four teens from China, Indonesia, Singapore, and Ukraine each define their own futures — on their own terms.
In August 2022, Volodymyr Mula, at the invitation of British director and producer Alex Gale, joined the international documentary project “Football Must Go On” as a co-director. This four-part documentary follows the captivating journey of “Shakhtar” Donetsk, a Ukrainian football club, as they compete in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League season against the constant backdrop of war. The series premiered on 12 September 2023, on the Paramount+ platform.
==Films==
Type 	Year	Film 	 	 	 	 	
Type 	Year	Film 	Director	Screenwriter	Producer	Cinematographer	Notes
Documentary	2015	American Dream 	Y 	Y 	Y 	Y 	In Ukrainian
Documentary	2017	American Dream. In Search of the Truth	Y 	N 	Y 	N 	In Ukrainian English subtitles
Documentary	2020	UKE 	Y 	N 	Y 	N 	In English
Documentary	2021	National Team 	Y 	N 	Y 	N 	In Ukrainian
Docuseries 	2023	Football Must Go On 	Y 	N 	N 	N 	The 45th Sports Emmy® Awards winner in the “Outstanding Documentary Series” category
==Awards==
In May 2021, the “UKE” documentary by director Volodymyr Mula was recognized as the main media event of the year at the "Ukraine Sports Media Awards – 2020" by the Association of Sports Journalists of Ukraine.
In September 2021, Volodymyr Mula was recognized for his outstanding contributions to cinematography, significant creative achievements, and high level of professional skill when he was awarded the prestigious title of Honored Art Worker of Ukraine. This title is a distinguished honor conferred by the Ukrainian president upon individuals who have made exceptional and noteworthy contributions to the arts and culture of Ukraine.
In May 2024, at the 45th Sports Emmy® Awards ceremony at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City, the director received the highest U.S. television award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), the Emmy, in the “Outstanding Documentary Series” category for the television documentary project “Football Must Go On”.
== Nominations ==
On February 2021, the “UKE” documentary by director Volodymyr Mula was shortlisted for the AIPS Sport Media Awards 2020.
On April 2021, the “UKE” documentary was nominated for "Best Documentary Film of the Year" at the Golden Dzyga Ukrainian Film Academy Awards.
On January 2024, director Volodymyr Mula was nominated for the Shevchenko National Prize
On June 2024, director Volodymyr Mula was nominated for the Oleksandr Dovzhenko State Prize
==Volunteering==
On April 24, 2022, in Baltimore, USA, the director organized a charity screening of the “UKE” documentary. All proceeds from the screening were donated to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
In June 2023, Mula joined Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyy’s initiative and became an ambassador for the “Unbroken Sport” project.
==The book "Wayne Called Me"==
Volodymyr Mula’s debut book, titled "Wayne Called Me", was published in Ukraine on January 1, 2024. The book describes the events surrounding the creation of the “UKE” documentary. The foreword to the book was written by Wayne Gretzky. 
Original Title: 	"I got a call from Wayne"
Subtitle: 	Behind the screens of UKE, The Untold Story of Hockey Legends
Theme: 	Biographies/Sport
ISBN: 	978-617-8206-01-7 (paperback edition)
Dimensions: 	145×215 mm
Number of Pages:	368
Year: 	2024
Category: 	Non-Fiction
Language: 	Ukrainian
Publisher: 	Laboratoria (Ukraine)
==Trivia==
* The Security Service of Ukraine included Volodymyr Mula's report "Star Wars" — or, a match between "Zorya" and "Legia" that took place in the capital — into the investigation of the clash between Ukrainian and Polish fans in downtown Kyiv in August 2015.
* After Brazil's 1-7 defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup semifinal, a Brazilian fan attacked Volodymyr Mula, a correspondent for the Ukrainian channel "1+1", during his live broadcast. After a short while, the correspondent, who was on camera wearing a Germany national football team|German national team shirt, managed to calm the Brazilian fan and continue with the broadcast
* Volodymyr Mula is the only Ukrainian journalist who, in 2016, worked at three major international events — Rio 2016 Olympics, Stockholm Eurovision 2016 та UEFA Euro 2016 France.
Category:Emmy Award winners 
Category:Ukrainian film directors
Category:1989 births
Category:Ukrainian people