Archive of films Hipsters / Stiljagi

Russia
2008, 125 min

Section: Official Selection - Out of Competition
Year: 2009

Weird Komsomol member Mels infiltrates and settles in with a group of hipsters who rave about the American lifestyle and revolt against the conditions they have to live with in 1955. Retro-musical scenes alternate with sequences where witty hyperbole is used to reflect both the state of mind and lifestyle of various levels of the Soviet population, and also young people’s desire for forbidden fruit.

Synopsis

It’s 1955. Stalin has been dead two years, but not even Khrushchev’s thaw can prevent Komsomol shock troops hounding fans of American rhythms and fashion. The student Mels (Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin) finds himself part of their crowd when he falls in love with Polya. He joins a gang of hipsters who meet up on Moscow’s "Broadway” (Gorky/Tverskaya street), then gets himself an eccentric outfit and is soon a hit on the dance floor as well. He is expelled from college and finds himself a substitute – the saxophone. He now goes by the name Mel and has the lovely Polya by his side... Retro-musical scenes alternate with sequences in which the director uses witty hyperbole to present the state of mind and lifestyle of various levels of the Soviet population. The young people’s craving for forbidden fruit will leave both an intoxicating and bitter taste in their mouths. Mel’s mentor Fred goes back to being Fyodor as soon as his high-ranking father fixes him up with a job in America. But he comes back to Moscow with bad news: they’re wearing different fashions over there and there’s no sign of any rebellion…

About the director

Valery Todorovsky (b. 1962, Odessa) studied screenwriting at VGIK (1988) and wrote the scripts for the successful films Dvoynik (1986), Gambrinus (1990), Cynics (Cyniki, 1991), and Over the Dark Water (Nad tyomnoy vodoy, 1993). He debuted as a director with Mortuary Car (Katafalk, 1989, Golden Ducat in Mannheim). This was followed by the acclaimed films Love (Lyubov, 1991), an updated film version of Nikolai Leskov’s novel Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District entitled Katya Ismailova (Podmoskovniye vechera, 1994), the drama The Land of the Deaf (Strana glukhikh, 1997), The Lover (Lyubovnik, 2002), My Stepbrother Frankenstein (Moy svodny brat Frankenshteyn, 2004), screened in competition at Karlovy Vary, and Vice (Tiski, 2007). Hipsters is his attempt at the musical genre. Todorovsky also works as a film producer.

Contacts

Central Partnership
15,1st Zachatievsky Lane, 119 034, Moscow
Russia
Tel: +7 495 777 49 61
Fax: +7 495 799 56 70
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.centpart.com

Hollywood Classic Entertainment
Psohlavců 8, 147 00, Praha 4
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 226 224 111
Fax: +420 226 224 110
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.hce.cz

Krasnaya Strela - Red Arrow Company
Krasina Street, Building 7/2, 123056, Moscow
Russia
Tel: +7 495 504 2223
Fax: +7 495 504 2223
E-mail: [email protected]

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About the film

Color, 35 mm
International premiere

Section:	Official Selection - Out of Competition

Director:	Valery Todorovsky
Screenplay:	Jurij Korotkov / Yuri Korotkov
Dir. of Photography:	Roman Vasjanov / Roman Vasyanov
Music:	Konstantin Meladze
Editor:	Alexej Bobrov / Alexey Bobrov
Producer:	Leonid Lebeděv / Leonid Lebedev, Leonid Jarmolnik / Leonid Yarmolnik, Vadim Gorjajnov / Vadim Goryainov, Valerij Todorovskij / Valery Todorovsky
Production:	Krasnaya Strela - Red Arrow Company
Cast:	Oksana Akinšina / Oksana Akinshina, Anton Šagin / Anton Shagin, Jevgenija Brik / Evgeniya Brik
Contact:	Central Partnership, Hollywood Classic Entertainment, Krasnaya Strela - Red Arrow Company
Distributor:	Hollywood Classic Entertainment

www:	www.stilyagifilm.ru

Guests

Armen Dishdishyan

Sales Agent

Valery Todorovsky

Film Director, Film Director

Lucie Mazůrková

Distributor

Igor Konyukov

Distributor

Marta Vaněčková

Distributor