| Moscow
Freestyle explores the lives of young Westerners
who left their homes to start a new life someplace else - in Russia.
We meet Gwain Hamilton in Moscow, three years after he becomes
an English teacher there. He loves the place, the culture, the
language, he even loves the ugly things that can be seen plenty
in Moscow. For him the fact that in Moscow it’s possible
to bribe the police, to buy work-permits and to walk down the street
drinking beer signifies freedom. Gwain seems to feel that Moscow
could be his home for the rest of his life. This is when, within
two short weeks, the unthinkable chain of events takes place.
The Terrorist Attacks shake Moscow and Russia: bombs on buses,
suicide-bombing of planes, explosions on the metro, and the killing
of hundreds of children on the first day of school in Beslan shock
the Russian society.
Gwain witnesses how within days fear and anger change the mood
in the city. The Russian version of freedom turns into the ruthlessness
of the authorities, discrimination against non-Russians, intolerance
of other nationalities and religions. Even Gwain’s belief,
that he is a full member of Russian society, is shattered when
he learns that everyone still sees him as a foreigner. He notices
that all his true friends are foreigners just like him that pretend
Russia is their new home. This is when Gwain takes a serious look
at what he is doing in Moscow and grows up.
The Filmmakers
Director, Producer, Cinematographer
Julia Ivanova, is a documentary
filmmaker with an ability to become one with the subjects of
her documentaries and explore their world in a Cinema Verite
style. Her filmography includes producing and directing "From
Russia, For Love", a documentary on international adoption,
that has screened on CBC's Passionate Eye and has been sold internationally.
She directed her second documentary "I Want a Woman",
about Eastern European men looking for love in the North American
world, for Make Believe Media and CBC “Rough Cuts”.
She recently completed another documenatry "Fatherhood Dreams"
for Global Currents. Julia is a graduate of the Russian film
school VGIK.
Executive Producer
Boris Ivanov is Interfilm’s “hands
on” producer
in charge of development and production as well as marketing
for the slate
of documentaries. His producing credits include the documentaries
Fatherhood Dreams, From Russia, For Love.. Other
credits include theatrical recreations director/producer for
CBS/History channel’s Beyond Top Secret, which has earned
two News and Documentary Emmy® nominations in 2007; the line
producer for the feature film The Rise of the Damned; the unit
manager for the NBC pilot Bionic Woman and the TV series Battlestar
Gallactica Season III .
The Music
“Moscow Freestyle” features the music
of one of the best European jazz musician, a Norwegian, Nils
Petter Molvaer as
well as the lyrics and songs of a talented Vancouver band The
Manvils.
Mikey Manville’s lyrics
like “Wake
up in the middle of your dream, shed the tears for your memories” and “Let
me break down on my own if that’s what you expect from
me” perfectly capture
Gwain’s mixed feelings about the city he calls
home.
The News:
"Moscow Freestyle" has won a
Humanity Award at the Red Shift Festival in
New York. It is currently screening on Yes/DBS in Israel and will
be shown on Planete Poland in 2009.
DVDs are now available on Amazon and
Video on Demand downloads will be available shortly.
|