Director Vlad Yudin On The Underdog Podcast: Upcoming Kai Greene Film Was Most Challenging To Make Yet
Vlad Yudin went in depth about the upcoming documentary on the life and legacy of Kai Greene.
The next film documentary by The Vladar Company is set to be released later this year. This film, entitled Kai, will chronicle the life and career of Kai Greene. Director Vlad Yudin recently sat down with Underdog Talk podcast to discuss the upcoming film and what is next for the company.
Kai Greene was featured in the original Generation Iron documentary in 2013. The sit-down began with a discussion on the original film, which ended up having more films come from it.
“When we were making the first Generation Iron, all of the focus was going into the film. I was not thinking about what was coming after or what was before. I had no idea what it was going to become. It emerged into a lot of different things afterwards.”
“I wasn’t focused on what was going to happen after. I was in the moment.”
After appearing in Generation Iron, Kai Greene will now have his own documentary made about his life and legacy. The Kai Greene documentary will tell the full life story of Greene, ranging from his troubled childhood through his bodybuilding career and into his post-retirement lifestyle.
Vlad Yudin continued to discuss how this film has taken some time to make over the years and navigating through the pandemic.
“This film has been in the making for the last few years actually. We started making it pre-pandemic. We’ve been shooting it throughout 2020, 2021. It’s a complex film because Kai, his story is pretty complex. There’s a lot of levels of it. From his childhood, growing up, and all the trauma he went through. Of course, the bodybuilding stories and what transpired after that.”
Kai Greene grew up in a troubled home in Brooklyn, only to eventually become a ward of the state and an orphan. Struggling to survive, he eventually became incarcerated during his youth. Upon being released from prison, Greene discovered bodybuilding, became a male exotic dancer, and eventually earned his way up into the IFBB pro league.
Greene is a three-time champion at the Arnold Classic and appeared on the Olympia stage six times. From 2012-2014, Greene finished as the runner-up to Phil Heath on the biggest stage. This is when the rivalry began between the two elite athletes. Heath will appear in the documentary discussing Greene.
Vlad Yudin was born in Russia and moved to New York to pursue his dream and passion of film making. The interview ends with Yudin calling for others to work toward their goals and not give up when it gets difficult.
“Whatever your end goal is, whatever your vision is going to be, you have to figure out smaller goals to get there…You’ll get there if you’re consistent.”
“You gotta love the process. If you don’t love it then why even do it? You gotta love the small things and of course, if you quit then it wasn’t for you in the first place. It’s important to know that.”
Kai is set to be released later in the year and is currently in post production. For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
