Victor Kossakovsky Retrospective
The Belovs Belovy Victor Kossakovsky
It is all very uncomplicated. Anna Feodorovna Belova lives in a small village near the source of the Neva River. She is twice a widow and now lives together with her brother Mikhail. Anna does the housekeeping while Mikhail drinks and philosophizes about life. Occasionally, their two other brothers Vasily and Sergei pay them a visit, and the siblings drink a lot of tea, take a Russian steam bath and argue – arguments that get louder by the minute, especially when alcohol comes into play. Sometimes tender and other times harsh, this portrait of Russian village life was the international breakthrough for Victor Kossakovsky and won him both the IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary and the IDFA Audience Award in 1994. There’s little luxury in the Belovs’ lives, but there is some happiness, in a sense. They have some cows, a dog is running around, and the potatoes need to be dug up. What can go wrong?
Russia, 1993 35mm, color / b&w, 60 min Director: Victor Kossakovsky Photography: Victor Kossakovsky, Leon Konovalov Screenplay: Victor Kossakovsky Editing: Victor Kossakovsky Sound: Galina Potselueva Production: St. Petersburg Documentary Film Studio World Sales: Jane Balfour Services Screening Copy: Jane Balfour Services
Victor Kossakovsky:
Losev (1989) The Other Day (1991) Wednesday 19.07.1961 (1997) I Loved You (2000) Tishe! (2003) Svyato (2006) ¡Vivan las antipodas! (2011)
I Loved You Ja vas ljubil Victor Kossakovsky
A poetic trilogy of stories about love and relationships in different stages of life, linked by love songs sung by Ivan Kozlovsky to lyrics by Alexander Pushkin. Each shot in a different format (35mm, 16mm and digital video), the three films work their way backwards through a human lifespan. The first part, Pavel and Lyalya (Jerusalem Romance), which won the IDFA Special Jury Award in 1998, centers on the relationship between Pavel Kogan and his wife Lyalya, both filmmakers. Pavel is on his deathbed in their home in Jerusalem. The only thing he wants now is to return to St. Petersburg, his former hometown, but Lyalya is convinced that this journey would be the death of him. In her mind, every day in Jerusalem is another one she can spend with her husband. The second part, Sergey and Natasha (Provincial Romance), features the wedding day of two young lovers. They have chosen each other despite their skeptical families’ misgivings about their union. The unconditional nature of this love is playfully put under scrutiny in the final part, Kindergarten: Sasha and Katya (First Romance). The toddlers in a Russian playgroup may be displaying a striking number of adult traits, and some are even determined to marry, but their infatuations are volatile and playful. In 10 minutes, they could very well be married to someone else.
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Germany, Russia, 2000 video, color, 102 min Director: Victor Kossakovsky Photography: Victor Kossakovskys, Sergei Astachov Editing: Victor Kossakovsky Sound: Leonid Lerner Production: Viola Stephan for Sreda Film Screening Copy: Freunde der Deutsche Kinemathek
Victor Kossakovsky:
Losev (1989) The Other Day (1991) Belovy (1992) Wednesday 19.07.1961 (1997) Tishe! (2003) Svyato (2006) ¡Vivan las antipodas! (2011)