Duma (epic) Duma (epic) A Duma (, plural "dumy") is a sung epic poem which originated in Ukraine during the Hetmanate Era in the sixteenth century (possibly based on earlier Kievan epic forms). Historically, dumy were performed by itinerant Cossack bards called kobzari, who accompanied themselves on a kobza or a torban, but after the abolition of Hetmanate by the Empress Catherine of Russia the epic singing became the domain of blind itinerant musicians who retained the kobzar appellation and accompanied their singing by playing a bandura (rarely a kobza) or a relya/lira (a Ukrainian variety of hurdy-gurdy). Dumas are sung in
Duma (2005 film) theatrically, but Scott Foundas wrote a rave review for the film in "Variety" and it led Warner Bros to reconsider. Warner Bros. finally gave "Duma" a limited theatrical release in the US. "Duma" was released on DVD on May 16, 2006 by Warner Bros. Entertainment. "Duma" went on receiving very positive reviews from critics; the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 93% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 61 reviews; Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 82 out of 100, based on 21 reviews. The film made $870,067 at the North American box office