Artem Ignatov

People believe in God. But sometimes there are rulers who dream of taking his place. For these purposes their press secretaries and PR managers come up with absurd and very expensive projects.

A story about Konstantin Sergeievich Stanislavski, a twentieth-century theatre genius. Owing to his powerful extraordinary talent he managed to stay a true artist and a free spirit within the harsh Soviet system. In the film contemporary theater and film directors (Kirill Serebrennikov, Katie Mitchell, Lev Dodin and others) show how Stanislavski's method affects their everyday work. Each of the directors finds his or her own reflection in the mirror of his genius. In search of an answer to the question whether modern theatre really needs Stanislavski they discover that art lacks its most essential part – the human being.

If you’ve ever wondered whether reindeer antlers bleed if you saw them off, this film will leave you with no doubt. In the remote Altai Mountains of Russia, on the border with China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan, reindeer herders make a living from the trade in “velvet antlers.” South Korean customers in particular swear by the extract made from the antlers, which is supposed to have medicinal properties, including to treat rheumatoid arthritis. The entire process of “harvesting” the antlers is documented in unadorned and grisly detail, interspersed with commentary from the herders and panoramic footage of the green and rugged mountain landscape. During cigarette breaks, the herders bemoan their lack of prospects and the deplorable state of Russian politics and the economy, describing their own position as akin to slavery. Meanwhile, it seems to be the visiting Korean dealers who are raking in the profit.

Apatity, a far-north industrial town in Russia, first came into being as a USSR concentration camp. Although its environment is at the brink of ecological disaster, the people here still believe in the state’s promise of immortality that can be gained through sacrificial service to the fatherland. This is how the elite in a totalitarian state buy a person’s will, strength, talent and, indeed, life, turning the human being into another resource that is as faceless as a grey lump of ore. ‘I cannot fight big corporations or state structures with a film. But I hope that there is someone in the darkness of the cinema whose heart will get a bit warmer after seeing it,’ says the director. The larger part of the film was shot during the polar night.

Is it easy to be a doctor in rural Russia? The main character of the film – doctor of Vologodsk air medical service Sergei Diakov – tells about struggle, hope, empathy and responsibility.

In the yard of the XXI century. But even today, people continue to face the bureaucratic system at various levels. From birth to death, he devotes his precious time to walking through the authorities and communicating with representatives of different levels of government. In St. Petersburg, in the Reception of citizens, an official conducts a reception on housing issues. For many who are desperate to achieve a solution to their problem, he is the last hope. All questions are difficult, there are a lot of dissatisfied people, but we need to find a common language with everyone and help solve the problem.