The Modern of Fort Worth and the Lone Star Film Society have partnered with the Russian Ministry of Culture, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, and the City of Fort Worth Mayor's Office to present a cultural exchange of some of the newest and most exciting films and filmmakers from the U.S. and Russia. In June, three U.S. films and filmmakers traveled to the Moscow International Film Festival; and in August and September, three Russian filmmakers will present their work to U.S. audiences in Fort Worth, New York, and San Francisco. The filmmakers presented in this series represent bold new voices in both American and Russian independent cinema.
On Friday, August 24, 7:30 pm, My Dad is Baryshnikov. A bright and uplifting semi-autobiographical first feature from Brooklyn-based director Dmitry Povolotsky, tells the tale of a ballet-obsessed teen who pretends his father is the famous dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. Set in Moscow 1986, the film captures the spirit of the economic and political restructuring at the time, showing a modern view of not-so-distant era when everyone lived in the same apartments, with the same furniture, wearing the same clothes. Using sharp dialogue, well-observed situational comedy, and a fabulous soundtrack by Boney M, Povolotsky invites viewers to take part in a young boy's dream. "The starry-eyed ballet dreams of Billy Elliot meet a cynical Russian sense of humor in My Dad is Baryshnikov, the feature debut of Dmitry Povolotsky and Mark Drugoi."- John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter
Chapiteau-Show (in 2 parts): Part 1-Saturday, August 25, 2 pm, Part 2-Saturday, August 25, 5 pm. Mixing cabaret-style musical numbers, a labyrinthine structure, and a healthy dose of playful surrealism, Chaptieau-Show tells four interconnected short stories about relationships, all emerging from within a mysterious circus tent on the coast of the Black Sea. In the first story, "Love," a young woman comes face to face with a solemn friend whom she met online. In "Friendship," a young deaf man finds that it's difficult to connect with his new friends. "Respect" follows a famous actor attempting to reconnect with his estranged son. And an ambitious theatrical producer tries to stage an outlandish production in the final tale, "Cooperation." Characters from the foreground of one story end up in the background of another, and between chapters they gather in a colorful cabaret to expose their true feelings in the form of pop songs performed in the style of Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Freddie Mercury. "All the characters in this film are beautiful losers," says director Sergei Loban, who's crafted a fiercely inventive and light-hearted epic that gleefully breaks all the rules. Loban acquired a cult reputation in Moscow underground culture and won the Russian critic's prize for his science fiction film Dust in 2005. Already a huge hit in its native Russia after winning the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Moscow International Film Festival, Chapiteau-Show is a postmodern delight that defines Marshall McLuhan's famous aphorism-the medium is the message.
Elena, Sunday, August 26, 2 pm "Post-Soviet Russia in Andrei Zvyagintsev's somber, gripping film Elena is a moral vacuum where money rules, the haves are contemptuous of the have-nots, and class resentment simmers. The movie, which shuttles between the center of Moscow and its outskirts, is grim enough to suggest that even if you were rich, you wouldn't want to live there. In Elena the title character (Nadezhda Markina), a stout, copper-haired woman in her late 50s or early 60s, shares an elegant, gadget-filled home near the Kremlin with her wealthy older husband, Vladimir (Andrei Smirnov). You are keenly aware of the distance between Elena, a former nurse from a proletarian background, and the imperious, hard-nosed Vladimir. . . . Elena and Vladimir's marriage reaches a crossroads when Vladimir has a heart attack while swimming and is again dependent on her care. "For Mr. Zvyagintsev, whose first feature,The Return, won the grand prize at the 2003 Venice Film Festival, it is a brilliant comeback."-Stephen Holden, New York Times
The Hunter, Sunday, August 26, 4 pm "What makes Hunter a hauntingly memorable film-and a bit of a mystery-is how it infuses with grace all the familiar, hyper-realistic aspects of contemporary provincial Russian life without removing any of its harshness. . . . The Hunter is the most Russian film within the current resurgence of the country's contribution to global art cinema." Masha Salazkina, KinoKultura
Tickets are $8.50; $6.50 for Modern members; $6 for Modern Reel People and LSFS members. A festival pass is $25. Advance sales begin two hours prior to each show. Beginning August 1, advance purchase of festival passes or purchase of individual tickets for Reel People and LSFS members is available by calling 817.738.9215.
