After a long wait since her Eurovision victory in May, Jamala has finally released the music video for her winning song “1944”. It’s set in a dark and mysterious world, that carries the emotion of the song and symbolises the tragic events of “1944” — and we can’t help get some Hunger Games vibes from it.

Dressed in a beige top with a crimson skirt, Jamala can be found inside a dark tunnel, as she delivers the emotional lyrics of the song. She’s also joined by a posse of young people, perhaps symbolising the free future of the song lyrics.

The action also moves outside, to a mysterious and misty landscape, where giant globe-like structures are seen through the thick fog.

The video has a dystopian science-fiction feeling to it and is stylishly shot. It feels a lot like a thrilling sci-film like The Hunger Games. The special effects match the emotional intensity of the song, expressing Jamala’s pain and suffering without ever depicting the actual events of 1944.

The video has been a work in progress for quite some time. In June, Jamala shared a photo from the video shoot.

Yesterday Jamala held a press conference where she talked about the process of creating the video and her inspiration for it.

She explained, “This music video is about the world where something has gone wrong, the story of trouble and tragedy. Something here is from The Hunger Games and, perhaps, a bit from Stalker. Everyone will see his own picture here.”

She also added, “It was, perhaps, the toughest shooting in my life. The clip was filmed on the mountain, there was rain and fog. There was no heater. We almost could not make a fire. Nature made pain be in our gestures. I was pleased with the locals, who were not lazy to climb the mountain for two hours by car for making selfie”.

Scenes in the video were shot at a military base in the Carpathian Mountains, with the shoot lastin three days.

Jamala – “1944” music video

What do you think? Does the “1944” video capture the emotion of the song? Should Jamala have released it earlier? Share your comments below!

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Deban Aderemi
Deban Aderemi
7 years ago

Beautifully translated. The visuals and the expressive dance here is simply breathtaking.

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
7 years ago

@Digital Style: She didn’t have to recreate anything, because someone did that as early as February (if not earlier): https://youtu.be/6OFVy8Si3Cw This video has been circulating around YouTube as early as February 21, and has been repeatedly removed and reapplied due to conflicts and skirmishes with the copyright secret police. Given the description of the events in 1944, grim though it may be, this video from February is as good an interpretation as there is, unless there is a better one that I have not seen. Then again, the scenes may have been lifted from another video that might be circulating… Read more »

mocosuburbian
mocosuburbian
7 years ago

one of her other songs (zaplutalas or zaplulatas or however you romanize it) has a very similar aesthetic, so i’m not tooooo impressed
should have focused more on the tatars and the song’s background tbh
there’s another fan video with clips from haytarma in it that really fits the song better

esc2016
esc2016
7 years ago

Beautiful!!
She worth it!

nordlandspils
nordlandspils
7 years ago

What a beautiful interpretation. The dynamism provides a different perspective of the song’s emotions.

If until now what you perceive of this song is its political undertones, then, the problem is really in you…not with Jamala or with the people who voted for this song.

Charles
Charles
7 years ago

Absolutely stunning … it still brings me the same emotion, honesty and vulnerability I felt the first time … and if you can’t feel those because of some alleged political message … then I question your musical sensibility and whatever the hell you look for in Eurovison …

oli
oli
7 years ago

Great video! I love it

ct_greece
ct_greece
7 years ago

What a talent this woman is. Simply amazing.

Ivan Browdy
Ivan Browdy
7 years ago

? ? ???????. It couldn’t be better, so meaningful and heart touching. I got goosebumps while watching it.

Zebb
Zebb
7 years ago

Well tbh I expected less dynamic video with more gentle dance movements just being impressed by their previous collaboration in another video (‘Zaplutalas’ or somehow). Can’t abstain from noticing bright reference to deport actions in that tunnel when someone is raised above crowd – reminds a grasp for air movement in wagon if someone checked amateur videos with used stills from some film about that. Vivid culmination.

Proud
Proud
7 years ago

Breathtaking video! Beautiful story and meaning :
Thanks Jamala 🙂

Digital Style
Digital Style
7 years ago

I’m glad she didn’t try to recreate the scenes of the events that the song was specifically referring to and instead conveyed the general sadness felt about the situations through an interpretive dance. Wise move, and it suits the song very well. I’m impressed.

Pollaski
Pollaski
7 years ago

Thank god she released it after she won. If she had released it before… she probably wouldn’t have.

Callum
Callum
7 years ago

Wow, just wow… Jamala is a real artist; she has direction, talent and likability. This music video just reflects all of that.

Amor Amankwah
Amor Amankwah
7 years ago

Love the video but I would have preferred to see less interpretive dance and more them recreating scenes of the deportations and even that incident with her great-aunt dying on the train. But it captured the emotion well

Ron Kavaler
Editor
7 years ago

Great video, quite impressive.
You’re also invited to check out my special video for “1944” 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy439C016J0&index=2&list=PLWEWwH7GBEACcKs9J-kbQeakH56Glb_My

Charli Cheer Up
Charli Cheer Up
7 years ago

She’s a ESC soul-jazz goddess! Such a brilliant analogy they used to retell 1944 through alien invasions rather than go down the historical route.

Tony
Tony
7 years ago

I love it!

Lianne
Lianne
7 years ago

Beautiful. Simply beautiful. Reminds me of the refugee interval act of eurovision 2016 🙂

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
7 years ago

She’s the purest form of talent I s2g. An amazing, meaningful song with an amazing, meaningful video.

Bouke
Bouke
7 years ago

Amazing video and an amazing song still 🙂 <3

Mark
Mark
7 years ago

I can’t wait until we crown the next winner; then we’d have something better to give all our attention to.

Bogdan Honciuc
7 years ago

an everlasting piece of art

jowncarlo
jowncarlo
7 years ago

Avatar Jamala!