Russia Archives - Directors Notes

A Woman Experiences the Fullness of Existence Across Time in Anna Guseva’s Dance Film ‘Tem Po Ra Ry’

Anna Guseva outlines why 35mm film was the appropriate shooting format for her time-spanning dance short/music video traversing Dom Radio's rich history.

Music Video

Warring Neighbours Engage in an Arduous Territorial Battle in Lado Kvataniya’s Symbolic Manizha Music Video ‘GUN’

Lado Kvataniya walks us through the thematic importance and physical practicalities of the central moveable wall in his anti-conflict focused music video.

Animation, Music Video

A Nocturnal Predator Stalks a Young Woman in Nikita Kibirev’s Hyper-Stylised Animated Music Video ‘NOIR’

Nikita Kibirev breaks down the process behind the distinct colour-rich visual aesthetic of his promo exploring jealousy, obsession and toxic masculinity.

Live Action, Premiere

Pola Rader Creates a Beguiling Romantic Hybrid Exploring the Shifting Phases of Love in ‘And Died Together One Day’

Polar Rader shares her careful colour correction process and high-definition lenses used to depict the journey of love amongst bitterly cold wintry climes.

Music Video, Premiere

Daria Geller’s ‘Everybody Knows’ Updates a Leonard Cohen Classic for Today’s Era of Russian Aggression

Daria Geller talks to us about counting the tragic cost of Russian complacency through warm 16mm, striking group scenes and a smart Leonard Cohen cover.

Live Action, Premiere

Masculinity Is a Toxic, Menacing Curse in Dima Barch’s Gripping Queer Russian Horror Short ‘Dead End’

Dima Barch walks us through his use of long takes, dynamic lighting set-ups and an ambiguous mode to create an ambitious and menacing queer horror film.

Music Video

Dasha Gushchina’s ‘Standing Between Two Walls’ for Manizha Unpicks the Paradox of Russian-Tajik Identity

Dasha Guschina shares how she dramatised Russian-Tajik singer Manizha's complex identity through the choreography of everyday gestures.

Live Action

Pavel Kling’s Evocative Short ‘Bad Timing’ Acutely Captures the Cost of Leaving Everything Behind

Pavel Kling explains his use of immersive sound design, innovative lighting techniques and trick shots to depict a woman's decision to leave Russia.

Documentary, Live Action, Premiere

Zhenia Kazankina’s Doc-Fiction Hybrid ‘Continuity of Parks’ Imagines Greek Heroes Living in a Moscow Park

Zhenia Kazankina breaks down the naturalist performances and mix of documentary and fiction methods of her 16mm reimagining of Greek myth in a Moscow park.

Live Action, Premiere

Nastia Korkia’s ‘Almost Spring’ Brutally Lays Bare the Normalisation of Corruption in Everyday Russian Life

Nastia Korkia shares how she used a cinematic language of slow, methodical takes in order to show how deeply embedded corruption is in everyday Russian life.

Awards, Documentary

Evgenia Arbugaeva & Maxim Arbugaev Acutely Capture the Effects of Climate Change in Oscar-Nominated Doc ‘Haulout’

Evgenia Arbugaeva explains the difficulty of shooting an Oscar-nominated nature documentary amongst thousands of scared walruses.

Animation

Lado Kvataniya’s ‘Burn’ Is a Caustic Warning Against Our Collective Disillusionment at the Hands of Propaganda.

Lado Kvataniya & Sergey Kolesov detail how they worked together to reflect the pernicious role of modern day propaganda in their caustic animated music video.

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