“Trojan Jazz”

This film explores the historic tour of the Benny Goodman Jazz Orchestra across the Soviet Union — the first American jazz ensemble to perform behind the Iron Curtain. Concerts in Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv, and Tbilisi offered Soviet citizens a rare opportunity to glimpse American culture. Featuring figures such as composer Giya Kancheli and Sergei Khrushchev, the son of Nikita Khrushchev, the film portrays jazz as a symbol of freedom in a totalitarian society. One of the most poignant stories in the film is that of Ukrainian flutist Hryhoriy Fedkin, who, after receiving a gift from Goodman, faced Soviet repercussions and was forced to abandon his musical career.