Petrovych is a high school professor who becomes President of Ukraine. To interpret it is Volodymyr Zelensky, actor at the time. An incredible prophetic story the one told in the series since Zelensky himself became president of the country now at the center of the largest and bloodiest conflict in the heart of Europe since the end of the Second World War. On Monday 4 April, exclusively for Italy, the premiere of “Servant of the people”, the TV series starring the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, will be broadcast on La7. As is well known, before starting his political career Zelensky was an actor and this TV series is an emblem of the man’s past. He is the protagonist and creator, director and screenwriter of the series, which has now become a real cult. The premiere with the first episodes, presented by Andrea Purgatori, and with the dubbing of Luca Bizzarri, voice of Vasyl Petrovych, the character played by Zelensky in the series. «I’ll be his breaths – Gonzo declares – his pauses, his hoarse laugh. Theatrical representation is, above all, responsibility. Each role, each representation, places the actor in front of humanity, of the history of people. That’s why accepting a job like this, in such a difficult time, makes my stomach a little tight. Because this sitcom, these words that I am going to say, have changed the history of Europe and the whole world, however you think about it ».
For Urbano Cairo, Publisher of La7 “programming Zelensky’s series exclusively for Italy as international televisions are doing is a source of pride. It is important – he continues – to make known the extraordinary genesis of a political leader who is currently fighting with his people for freedom and democracy, in the spotlight and with the admiration of the whole world ». La7 is making «a complete and daily story made up of direct and in-depth analyzes on the Ukrainian war that the public is appreciating. Program this complete series and enrich our story. I am very happy that Luca Bizzarri has accepted to lend his voice to the character played by Zelensky – these are the words of Andrea Salerno Director of La7 -. It took a satirical talent to try to restore the true nature of that tale. A story born to entertain, a comic fiction, which then produced – in addition to the television success – a political climb unique in history that made its protagonist truly President of Ukraine. A fiction that becomes reality – continues Salerno – a story that has changed destinies ». Servant of the People, produced by Kvartal 95 (Zelensky’s own production company) was broadcast between 2015 and 2019 with great critical acclaim and ratings on the Ukrainian TV Network “1 + 1”, and has since become a phenomenon international, then also landing in Germany, France and the United Arab Emirates.
Having become a real documentary series, it has been distributed again in England on Channel Four and will soon be made available on the Netflix platform in the USA. Finally, to close the evening, “Zelensky the story” will be proposed, a first TV docufilm that summarizes the extraordinary journey of the Ukrainian President, from his beginnings as an actor and producer of TV programs to his spectacular campaign, his election, his rivalry. with the president of Russia, to the current conflict.