You can find translated version below:
Most recently, one of the domestic films received a prize for the "Best Documentary Film" at the prestigious XXV Shukshin Festival.
The viewers of the documentary film Between Despair and Hope, sharing their impressions after watching it, noted that they seemed to find themselves in the epicenter of events 30 years ago and could observe the consequences of the historical drama. The picture became the feature debut of film director Anna Barsukova, the author of a number of works on socially significant topics. The winner of many international awards for the best soundtrack, Gyuli Kambarova, created a dramatic musical composition for the film. Our editors talked to the creators of the film Between Despair and Hope, learned about the joint work of the filmmakers and the importance of documentary films in the modern world.
Correspondent: Anna, why did you decide to work on the film together with composer Gyuli Kambarova?
Anna Barsukova:
- I'm a cinematographer. I have been working in the field of creating socially significant films since 2017. However, my main higher education is music. I graduated from the Rostov State Conservatory. Rachmaninov in violin class in 2006. It was within the walls of the educational institution that we met Gyuli Kambarova. After graduating from high school, our paths parted for a while, as we parted in different countries. However, years later, joint work united us again. And for many years now we have been working together despite long distances and differences in time zones.
Correspondent: How did you work at a distance, living in different countries and on different continents?
Anna Barsukova:
- Being on a film expedition in the Far North, I sent Gyuli voice messages about my incredible impressions. My emotional stories gave rise to vivid musical images in Gyuli's mind, and she wanted to start creating music for the film as soon as possible.
After the first trial musical composition, Gyuli asked me to give her the freedom of musical thought in order to be able to bring her own musical ideas to life. I listened to her wishes and it turned out to be the right decision. After a short time, Gyuli called me via video link and played several motives, which, in my opinion, accurately reflected the nature of the video sequence. This is how the main theme of the Struggle arose, and from it the theme of Hope grew. In fact, the theme of Hope is the other side of the theme of Struggle.
I am always happy to work with a talented person who can feel and tell a story through musical language. After all, the musical canvas is not just background music - it is 50% of the film material, since it is music that helps the viewer to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the film.
Correspondent: Anna, how did you decide to shoot a film in the village of Sinegorye?
Anna Barsukova:
– The decision to go to the remote hinterland of the Far East was made quite quickly. I have long known Oksana Shapoval, who worked as a social work specialist in a local nursing home in Kolyma. She suggested that I film the anniversary of the institution for the archive. But since I am a documentary filmmaker, the simple shooting of the holiday was of little interest to me. I began to study information about the village of Sinegorye itself and accidentally stumbled on the Internet on a video blog of a native Ruslan. I was very impressed by his stories about his childhood and about the village. In addition, by a happy coincidence, Ruslan turned out to be Oksana's neighbor. So all the events and heroes converged at one point, and I decided to make a film trip to the Magadan region.
Correspondent: Gyuli, at what moment did you join the work on the music for the film?
Gyuli Kambarova:
– When I first saw fragments of the footage, I was amazed at the artistry and realism of the picture. Right from the screen, I was blown by the frosty air and the atmosphere of oblivion of the Russian village. Video frames full of drama inspired me to create the appropriate music: booming, dark, a little scary. However, the film does not only focus on abandoned buildings. The director skillfully draws a line of hope in the plot, showing the unique, virgin nature, the church with blue domes, harmoniously located among the snow-covered hills and, of course, the long-awaited plane! I wanted to support this feeling of resurgent hope with music, I wanted to help the viewer and listener fix it in their souls and set them up to believe in the best!
Correspondent: Tell us a little about how the filming process went?
Anna Barsukova:
Despite the difficult climatic conditions, we tried to shoot every day and the shooting days were quite eventful. Frosty weather and fast-paced events forced us to follow the characters, without the ability to deliberately line up beautiful shots or wait for certain lighting. We had to conduct reportage shooting almost all the time, but we strived for artistry and aesthetic beauty of the shots.
Correspondent: Anna, you recently received a professional award, on which we sincerely congratulate you. Is the XXV All-Russian Shukshin Festival the first festival where you sent your work? Share your impressions of your stay at the review.
Anna Barsukova: We started sending applications to festivals as soon as the film was finished. The film premiered at the prestigious Docker festival in Moscow in June this year. Also, the film has already been screened at overseas festivals in England and the US, and will soon be screened in Bhutan and other countries. It was incredible to see your film on the big screen. It was especially exciting, also because Between Despair and Hope is my first feature film. At the XXV Shukshin Festival, the picture was received very well. Those present asked many questions. The audience was interested to know the details about the film expedition and about the life of people in the village of Sinegorye.
Correspondent: What technique did you use to shoot the film Between Despair and Hope? How did the equipment behave in extreme working conditions?
Anna Barsukova: My assistant and I mainly shot with two cameras: Canon EOS R6 and Canon 90D. Canon and Tamron line of lenses. Canon products often travel with us to different regions of Russia. We filmed under heavy snowfall and at large temperature fluctuations - the equipment never let us down. We always have confidence in her.
Correspondent: Gyuli, why did you choose to create music for documentaries as a way of self-expression?
Gyuli Kambarova: Every time Anna and I work on a new story, we put a piece of our soul into this work. We spend not only a lot of time, but also our energy. Each story is a small life. We live it together with the characters, we get to know this world through the life of the characters on the screen, we learn something new, our worldview is transformed after each story. We seem to grow up every time we create another movie. This is a very exciting process! In addition, documentaries, in my opinion, can make viewers think about the problems of our world and try to find solutions to these problems.
Correspondent: Anna, do you want to add something to the words of the composer?
Anna Barsukova: All our films are aimed at achieving socially useful goals that contribute to the solution of social problems in society. We are pleased to be aware of our involvement in these issues.
Correspondent: What are your plans for further promotion of the film?
Anna Barsukova: At the moment we are focusing on the festival screening of the film. At the same time, we are negotiating with several venues interested in showing the film at thematic events. As soon as the screening dates become known, we will publish this information on the film's official website so that our readers can also come to watch it.
Correspondent: Anna and Gyuli, we thank you for the quality work done and wish success to your film.
You can find the translated version below:
"The film by Russian director Anna Barsukova "Between Despair and Hope" was recognized as the best at the Bhutan Film Festival
Author: Revizor.ru
Photo: press service of the festival
Photo: press service of the festival
The Druk International Film Festival (DIFF) is a monthly film competition with a subsequent selection of the "best of the best". The film "Between Despair and Hope" (English title Fine Line) received the status of the winner. All festival winners receive a prize, an individual certificate, and a rating on their respective IMDb pages. The directors attending the event get the opportunity to meet the audience and participate in a Q&A session after the screening in Paro.
After the awarding of Anna Barsukova's film "Fine Line" in Bhutan, our correspondent talked to the director. Anna spoke about her experience of filming a documentary in the House for the Invalids in the Far North of Russia.
It seems to me that your film “Fine Line” is a story about mercy. From the first frames it becomes clear that elderly people in wheelchairs are not left to their fate – they are taken care of by social workers who give them their warmth and love. What prompted you to fly from south to north to make this film?
Anna Barsukova: You yourself have partially answered the question… I was really inspired by the kind attitude of social workers towards their wards. Life in the Far North of Russia is extremely difficult - an inhospitable climate with extremely low temperatures, heavy snowfalls, long winters and short summers. But I noticed one feature: the colder the climate, the warmer the hearts of people. Social workers of the Home for the Invalids in the village of Sinegorye treat their wards as relatives and painfully experience the loss of each.
The beginning of the film instantly immerses the viewer into the atmosphere of the area. The shots of empty houses, combined with the dramatic music of Gyuli Kambarova, evoke strong emotions. Tell us a little about the process of making the film.
Anna Barsukova: It seems to me that the music of Gyuli Kambarova reveals the whole picture of what is happening in the best way. In general, we have been working with Gyuli Kambarova for several years, although we live in different countries.
Do you live in different countries? How do you manage to work on all your projects?
Anna Barsukova: That's right, I live in Russia in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, and Gyuli is currently in the US, California. When the time comes to write music for our next film, we adjust to the convenient time of the time zones of both countries and begin to exchange messages and opinions. I send video material to Gyuli - in response, she offers options for music. Sometimes there are serious creative differences between us, we vigorously argue and defend our point of view. But then magically we still come to a consensus. I am glad to work with a talented person who gives himself entirely to creativity and devotes all his time to it.
You have done a lot of work, but the result was worth it! As far as I know, the film Fine Line is successfully traveling to festivals in different countries. Where has the film already been shown and where can you see it in the near future?
Anna Barsukova: We started sending applications to festivals as soon as the film was completed. The Russian premiere of the film took place at the prestigious Docker International Festival in Moscow, and the foreign premiere took place in England at the First-Time Filmmaker Sessions festival and in the USA at the Student World Impact Film Festival. August 23, 2023 will be shown in Bhutan in the city of Paro.
Anna, tell us about your experience of participating in these festivals and how the audience received the film.
Anna Barsukova: Overseas festivals, which I was unable to attend personally, gave me a wonderful experience of communication through the ZOOM platform. For example, during the Impact Film Festival awards ceremony, more than 1,000 participants from 120 countries were online at the same time. As for the festivals with my participation, these are absolutely unforgettable sensations. It was incredible to see your film on the big screen. “Fine Line” is my first feature film. At the “Fathers and Sons” festival, the film was awarded two special prizes at once, and the XXV All-Russian Shukshin Festival awarded the film a diploma for “Best Feature Documentary”. The audience received the film very well. Those present asked many questions. The audience was interested to learn the details about the film expedition, and about the life of people in the village of Sinegorye.
Anna, you make films on topical issues and we hope to see your new works in the near future.
You can find the translated version below:
"Cinema and music. Interview with the creators of the film "Between Despair and Hope" - winner of the Shukshin Festival.
Composer Gyuli Kambarova and director Anna Barsukova answered questions from correspondent Veronika Safonova about the process of making the film. Source: https://yarcenter.ru/articles/culture/movies/anna-barsukova-vse-nashi-filmy-napravleny-na-dostizhenie-obshchestvenno-poleznykh-tseley/ We publish the article below:
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Most recently, one of the domestic films received a prize for the "Best Documentary Film" at the prestigious XXV Shukshin Festival. The viewers of the documentary film Between Despair and Hope, sharing their impressions after watching it, noted that they seemed to find themselves in the epicenter of events 30 years ago and could observe the consequences of the historical drama. The picture became the feature debut of film director Anna Barsukova, the author of a number of works on socially significant topics. The winner of many international awards for the best soundtrack, Gyuli Kambarova, created a dramatic musical composition for the film. Our editors talked to the creators of the film Between Despair and Hope, learned about the joint work of the filmmakers and the importance of documentary films in the modern world.
Correspondent: Anna, why did you decide to work on the film together with composer Gyuli Kambarova?
Anna Barsukova: - I am a cinematographer. I have been working in the field of creating socially significant films since 2017. However, my main higher education is music. I graduated from the Rostov State Conservatory. Rachmaninov in violin class in 2006. It was within the walls of the educational institution that we met Gyuli Kambarova. After graduating from high school, our paths parted for a while, as we parted in different countries. However, years later, joint creativity united us again. And for many years now we have been working together despite long distances and differences in time zones.
Correspondent: How did you work at a distance, living in different countries and on different continents?
Anna Barsukova: - Being on a film expedition in the Far North, I sent Gyuli voice messages about my incredible impressions. My emotional stories gave rise to vivid musical images in Gyuli's mind, and she wanted to start creating music for the film as soon as possible. After the first trial musical composition, Gyuli asked me to give her the freedom of musical thought in order to be able to bring her own musical ideas to life. I listened to her wishes and it turned out to be the right decision. After a short time, Gyuli called me via video link and played several motives, which, in my opinion, accurately reflected the nature of the video sequence. This is how the main theme of the Struggle arose, and from it the theme of Hope grew. In fact, the theme of Hope is the other side of the theme of Struggle.
I am always happy to work with a talented person who can feel and tell a story through musical language. After all, the musical canvas is not just background music - it is 50% of the film material, since it is music that helps the viewer to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the film.
Correspondent: Anna, how did you decide to shoot a film in the village of Sinegorye?
Anna Barsukova: - The decision to go to the remote hinterland of the Far East was made quite quickly. I have known Oksana Shapoval for a long time, who worked as a social work specialist in a local nursing home in Kolyma. She suggested that I film the anniversary of the institution for the archive. But since I am a documentary filmmaker, the simple shooting of the holiday was of little interest to me. I began to study information about the village of Sinegorye itself and accidentally stumbled on the Internet on a video blog of a native Ruslan. I was very impressed by his stories about his childhood and about the village. In addition, by a happy coincidence, Ruslan turned out to be Oksana's neighbor. So all the events and characters came together at one point, and I decided to make a film trip to the Magadan region.
Correspondent: Gyuli, at what moment did you join the work on the music for the film?
Gyuli Kambarova: - When I first saw fragments of the footage, I was amazed at the artistry and realism of the shots. Right from the screen, I was blown by the frosty air and the atmosphere of oblivion of the Russian village. Video frames full of drama inspired me to create the appropriate music: booming, dark, a little scary. However, the film does not only focus on abandoned buildings. The director skillfully draws a line of hope in the plot, showing the unique, virgin nature, the church with blue domes, harmoniously located among the snow-covered hills and, of course, the long-awaited plane! I wanted to support this feeling of resurgent hope with music, I wanted to help the viewer and listener fix it in their souls and set them up to believe in the best!
Correspondent: Tell us a little about how the filming process went?
Anna Barsukova: Despite the difficult climatic conditions, we tried to shoot every day and the shooting days were quite eventful. Frosty weather and fast-paced events forced us to follow the characters, without the ability to deliberately line up beautiful shots or wait for certain lighting. We had to conduct reportage shooting almost all the time, but we strived for artistry and aesthetic beauty of the shots.
Correspondent: Anna, you recently received a professional award, on which we sincerely congratulate you. Is the XXV All-Russian Shukshin Festival the first festival where you sent your work? Share your impressions of your stay at the review.
Anna Barsukova: We started sending applications to festivals as soon as the film was finished. The film premiered at the prestigious Docker festival in Moscow in June this year. Also, the film has already been screened at overseas festivals in England and the US, and will soon be screened in Bhutan and other countries. It was incredible to see your film on the big screen. It was especially exciting, also because Between Despair and Hope is my first feature film. At the XXV Shukshin Festival, the picture was received very well. Those present asked many questions. The audience was interested to know the details about the film expedition and about the life of people in the village of Sinegorye.
Correspondent: What technique did you use to shoot the film Between Despair and Hope? How did the equipment behave in extreme working conditions?
Anna Barsukova: My assistant and I mainly shot with two cameras: Canon EOS R6 and Canon 90D. Canon and Tamron line of lenses. Canon products often travel with us to different regions of Russia. We filmed under heavy snowfall and at large temperature fluctuations - the equipment never let us down. We always have confidence in her.
Correspondent: Gyuli, why did you choose to create music for documentaries as a way of self-expression?
Gyuli Kambarova: Every time Anna and I work on a new story, we put a piece of our soul into this work. We spend not only a lot of time, but also our energy. Each story is a small life. We live it together with the characters, we get to know this world through the life of the characters on the screen, we learn something new, our worldview is transformed after each story. We seem to grow up every time we create another movie. This is a very exciting process! In addition, documentaries, in my opinion, can make viewers think about the problems of our world and try to find solutions to these problems.
Correspondent: Anna, do you want to add something to the words of the composer?
Anna Barsukova: All our films are aimed at achieving socially useful goals that contribute to the solution of social problems in society. We are pleased to be aware of our involvement in these issues.
Correspondent: What are your plans for further promotion of the film?
Anna Barsukova: At the moment we are focusing on the festival screening of the film. At the same time, we are negotiating with several venues interested in showing the film at thematic events. As soon as the screening dates become known, we will publish this information on the film's official website so that our readers can also come to watch it.
Correspondent: Anna and Gyuli, we thank you for the quality work done and wish success to your film.