East of the West - Competition 2004 / Angel na obočině / Russia 2004
1980. Misha is growing up fast as a weed in a poor slum. The mafioso John notices how well he sings and gets him to sing in the local bar. Then a shoot-out occurs... 1987. After his release from prison Misha is still able to impress the punters. He leaves for Moscow and sings at the city´s Arbat. When he discovers that John´s murderer is making money off him, he decides to go home.
I – 1980. Misha is growing up fast as a weed in a poor worker’s area on the outskirts of town. He becomes attached to an addict named Gosha who turns him on to the world of the Beatles. Misha’s musical aptitude comes to the attention of John, the “patron” of Cross, a band experimenting in “conceptual minimalism.” But the customers at Wave Café request that Misha perform melancholy chansons. One evening, one of John’s black market competitors shoots him and Misha returns their fire. He doesn’t realize that one day the murderer’s accomplice, Crook, will worm his way into his life.
II – 1987. Misha’s family is in dire straights. Nadya, from Cross, welcomes him back and his friends enable him to perform. Misha wows the audience with songs he has written himself. Crook now directs the local music business from behind the scenes. Misha’s band, Fantoms, heads off to Moscow. He soon makes it big: they write about him in the papers and kids go wild at his concerts. Now Crook thinks he has his chance...
108 min / Color, 35 mm
Director Svetlana Stasenko
/ Screenplay Svetlana Stasenko
/ Dir. of Photography Irina Uralskaja / Irina Uralskaya
/ Music Serebro
/ Editor Svetlana Stasenko
/ Producer Arnold Guiskine
/ Production NETSKI
/ Cast Vasilij Lykšin / Vasily Lykshin, Michail Jefimov / Mikhail Yefimov, Alexandr Curkan / Alexander Tsurkan, Genadij Nazarov / Gennady Nazarov
/ Contact NETSKI
www: angel.mail.ru
Svetlana Stasenko hails from Izhevsk. She graduated from Moscow State University’s School of Journalism (1990), where she studied under documentary filmmaker Marina Goldovskaya. In 1995 she graduated from Moscow’s Higher Courses for Screenwriters and Directors. She has shot several short features and documentaries: The Healer (Radetel, 1988), A Pressing Invitation (Zazov, 1988), A Parable (Parabola, 1992), Frozen Time (Zastyvshie vremya, 1994), Tumble-Poet (Perekati-poet, 1997), You Should Not Be Sorry for Us (Nas nie nado zhaleť, 1998), Space Wanderer (Kosmicheski strannik, 2000), Slivers (Shchepki, 2000), Alexander F. Sklyar. A Song (Alexandr F. Sklyar. Pesnya, 2000), Carambolina (Karambolina, 2001). Shantytown Blues (2004) is her feature debut.
NETSKI
512, 7, Malyi Gnezdnikovskyi per., 125009, Moscow
Russia
Phone: +7 095 229 6480, +7 095 229 7268
Fax: +7 095 283 0833
E-mail: [email protected]
Svetlana Stasenko
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