Archive of films Island / Ostrov

Russia
2006, 112 min

Section: Horizons
Year: 2007

1970s, an island monastery. The monk Anatoly, famous for his miracles, has a long list of patrons. He has no idea why God chose him as a healer. He chose an ascetic strict life in order to redeem himself for a terrible sin he had committed in the past.

Synopsis

During the war the Germans capture a Soviet tugboat in the North Sea and, in order to save his own skin, one of the sailors shoots his own captain. The tugboat is then blown up. The sailor finds himself in an island monastery and, as a monk, Anatoly decides to devote his life to God and to atonement in order to redress his sin. After years of toil as a monk working in the boiler house, he acquires the gift of being able to see into people’s souls and he becomes famous as a healer. Although he has doubts about the mercy God has shown him, he still receives patrons who believe in his sanctity and providence. Even the prior, father Filaret, listens to him. He renounces opulence and pride, and moves into the boiler house… Times passes and Anatoly’s life is fulfilled as he continues his penance and his role as miracle-worker. However, the soul of this venerable, but perhaps fixated monk is agitated by the arrival of an unexpected visitor... Anatoly is forced to reassess his life. How is he now to perceive his conscience, God and the gift he has been given?

About the director

Pavel Lungin (b. 1949, Moscow) studied mathematics and applied linguistics at Moscow State University (1971) and then went on to study film direction and screenwriting (1980). For his feature debut Taxi Blues (1990) he won a Special Prize for direction at Cannes, after which he settled in France. In Russia he made a series of successful coproductions: Luna Park (1992), Line of Life (Liniya zhizni, 1996), The Wedding (La noce, 2000), The Tycoon (Oligarkha, 2002), Poor Relations (Bedniye rodstvenniki, 2005), and the TV series Gogol’s Dead Souls (Dyelo o myortvych dushach, 2005). His most recent and internationally acclaimed film The Island (2006) brought him 6 national Golden Eagle awards and also 5 prestigious Nika awards.

Contacts

Intercinema XXI Century
Druzhinnikovskaya Str. 15, 123 242, Moscow
Russia
Tel: +7 499 255 9052, +7 499 255 9082
Fax: +7 499 255 9053
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.intercinema.ru

+ 1

About the film

Color, 35 mm

Section:	Horizons

Director:	Pavel Lungin
Screenplay:	Dmitrij Soboljev / Dmitriy Sobolev
Dir. of Photography:	Andrej Žegalov / Andrey Zhegalov
Music:	Vladimir Martynov
Editor:	Albina Antipenko
Producer:	Sergej Šumakov / Sergey Shumakov, Pavel Lungin
Production:	Pavel Lungin Studio
Cast:	Pjotr Mamonov / Pyotr Mamonov, Viktor Suchorukov / Viktor Sukhorukov, Dmitrij Djužev / Dmitriy Dyuzhev, Jurij Kuzněcov / Yuri Kuznetsov, Viktorija Isakova / Viktoriya Isakova, Nina Usatova
Contact:	Intercinema XXI Century