BeMy recorded "Oxygen" in Cyprus. The music video was directed by Mitja Okorn.

BeMy also found Cyprus as the setting for one of their most important music videos. In 2016, the clip for "Oxygen" was shot on the island. However, this wasn't your typical seaside vacation production.

Mitja Okorn, known for his films "Letters to Santa" and "Planet of Singles," was behind the camera. In Cyprus, he and BeMy created a short film about love, illness, and the characters' attempts to make the most of their remaining time.

BeMy recorded "Oxygen" in Cyprus

“Oxygen” is from BeMy’s debut album “Grizzlin’”, released in 2016.

A music video was created for one of the most important singles from the album, the photos of which were taken in CyprusThe film was directed by Mitja Okorn and photographed by Vladan G. Jankovic. The Cypriot company Semio Productions also worked on the production.

Okorn did not treat the island as a postcard setting.

Instead of a classic holiday story, a short film was actually created.

Instead of a holiday clip, a small film was created

The main character of the music video is the seriously ill Mia, played by Inja Zalta.

Her boyfriend picks her up from the hospital. The couple sets off on a journey together, trying to experience their final moments together as intensely as possible.

There is a road, spontaneous adventures, a wedding ceremony and more Cypriot locations.

This is why "Oxygen" is so different from many other Polish music videos shot on the island.

Cyprus doesn't just serve as a pretty backdrop. It's also the setting for the entire narrative.

Mitja Okorn was behind the camera.

The director's name is as interesting in this story as the band itself.

Mitja Okorn was already well-known to Polish audiences at the time. He had directed films such as "39 1/2," "Letters to Santa," and the blockbuster "Planet of Singles."

On "Oxygen," he was not only responsible for directing, but also co-wrote the music video with Jan Belcel. Official production materials indicate that the story was based on the script for "Life in a Year" by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.

The effect is more like a film fragment than a typical single promotion clip.

Cypriot music video goes to international festival

“Oxygen” caught the attention of more than just BeMa fans.

In 2017 the music video was nominated for Berlin Music Video Awards. It was included on the official list of nominees alongside productions featuring The Weeknd, among others.

The script of the clip was also previously appreciated at the YACH Film Festival 2016.

This gives BeMy's Cypriot production a special place in our series.

It's not just a curiosity like "this video was also shot in Cyprus." It's material that has also been noticed for its production method.

A million views brought an unusual promise

The music video quickly gained popularity.

In early 2017, it surpassed one million views on YouTube. BeMy had previously promised fans that if this happened, they would prepare a special version of "Naked Oxygen."

They kept their promise.

The musicians recorded a shortened, acoustic version of the song naked – and they did it in Poland in fourteen-degree frost.

The original Cypriot clip can still be watched on the official BeMy channel.

Who are the BeMys?

BeMy was created by brothers Mattia and Elie Rosinski.

Born and raised in France in a family with Polish roots, they later studied music in the UK and, after moving to Poland, began developing a band in the local market.

They became known to a wider Polish audience thanks to their participation in "Must Be The Music", where they took second place in 2013.

In 2016, their debut album "Grizzlin'" was released.

One of the most important songs from this album was "Oxygen".

Even Ed Sheeran sang their song

BeMa's story has another interesting international thread.

Mattia and Elie knew Ed Sheeran from their school days in the UK. Later, during a promotional campaign for "Oxygen," the British singer recorded his own snippet of BeMy's song.

Other artists, including LP and Polish vocalists, also joined the #WeAreOxygen initiative.

The work, whose most cinematic visual version was created in Cyprus, thus began to live much more widely.

Cyprus played more than just itself here

“Oxygen” shows yet another way for the creators to use the island.

KOMBII explored the distinctive landscapes of Paphos and Aphrodite's Rock. Margaret utilized Cypriot locations in a summery pop video. Natalia Nykiel created a near-desert world on the island for "Peace."

BeMy and Mitja Okorn used Cyprus as a full-fledged film set.

And that's why, ten years later, "Oxygen" is still worth watching, not just for the music.

This is another fragment of Polish pop culture in which Cyprus is in front of the camera – this time as the setting for a story that could be a fragment of a cinematic film.

The material was prepared based on the official music video and BeMy materials, the official Berlin Music Video Awards archive, RMF FM, Onet and WP materials, and production information regarding the "Oxygen" clip.