SIBERIAN KANSK FILM FESTIVAL
Siberia’s Kansk Film Festival visits London
In collaboration with
VideoDOM Studio, CINE FANTOM club (Russia),
the FOUNDRY and Genesis Cinema (UK)
Launch (Foundry) – June 11th   Festival (Genesis) – June 12-14th

http://www.foundry.tv/kansk/

http://www.genesiscinema.co.uk <http://www.genesiscinema.co.uk/>
FULL PRESS RELEASE AND PROGRAMME PDF: http://www.foundry.tv/kansk/siberian_kansk_video_festival_program.pdf

From its remote beginnings eight years ago in the Siberian town of Kansk, an alternative Russian film festival is making its inaugural trip to London. The Kansk Film Festival started off as an artistic pun on ‘Cannes’ -  inspired by a troupe of avant-garde Russian film makers who decided to put Eastern Siberia on the map.
‘The town was found on the Internet by chance’, explains organiser Nadya Bakuradze. ‘In Russian, Kansk is pronounced the same as Cannes, so the idea grew as an artistic joke – Siberia having its own Festival de Cannes.’

Each year the festival showcases new independent and uncompromising filmmakers and hosts an international film jury. ‘We promote young authors and encourage experimental productions looking at the crossovers between cinematography and contemporary art,’ says Nadya.

Highlights of this year’s festival include Volga-Volga – the remake of a 1930’s cult Soviet comedy in which the original version is preserved completely, with the exception of the leading actress; Einstein and Margaret charting Albert Einstein’s love affair with a Soviet secret service employee and Blind Spot  this year’s debut.

Now in its eighth year, hundreds of Russians brave the annual trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway; a total of 4,500 km from Moscow and 300 km from Krasnoyarsk into Siberia’s severe sub arctic climate. ‘Most Russian film festivals are either for film stars and take place near the sea side, or in the big cities. Ours is the only event that has actually shaped the culture of a region,’ says Nadya.

Kansk is an unusual town – it produces 90 per cent of the world’s nickel and is almost entirely responsible for Kremlin’s wealth. It is also a mere eight hour drive from Krasnoyarsk – Stalin’s infamous Gulag Administrative Centre, making many of its citizens descendants of Gulag operators or of Communist dissidents expelled there.

But despite its unusual underpinnings, Siberia shouldn’t be alien to the West, says artist Tracey Moberly, who is responsible for bringing the festival to London after an inspirational 2007 visit to Kansk. ‘We still think of Russia in Cold War terms and people talk about being “Sent to Siberia” but hardly anyone ever visits -  it’s an unusual and lovely place with temperatures reaching 40 degrees celcius in the Summer months. The festival offers a chance to experience a new take on Russia, especially Siberia.’

The Siberian Kansk festival launches on June 11 with Russian Spirit Returns – a poster exhibition at The Foundry. Screenings between 12-14 June take place at Bethnal Green’s Genesis Cinema.
For interviews please contact: Tracey Moberly +44 (0)7951 608787  tracey@foundry.tv
or Photini Philippidou photinip@gmail.com +44 (0)7879 466809

Event Information
June 11  The Foundry
RUSSIAN SPIRT RETURNS
The festival launches at the Foundry with a free exhibition of contemporary Russian posters from 7pm.
The Foundry / www.foundry.tv/kansk/ <http://www.foundry.tv/kansk/>
84, Great Eastern Street
London EC2A 3JL
(exit 3 Old Street tube)

June 12-14 Genesis Cinema
SIBERIAN KANSK FILM FESTIVAL
Friday June 12, 09 / Genesis Cinema
Screening 7pm
Shorts and video-art from Kansk Video Festival (Russian program)
evening screening 2 hours total
Saturday June 13, 09 / Genesis Cinema
Screening 3pm
‘Volga-Volga’, directed by Pavel Labazov & Andrey Silvestrov, 70 min, 2006
Screening 5.30pm
‘Einstein and Margaret’, directed by Iraida Yusupova and Alexander Dolgin, 90 min, 2006
day / evening 4 hours total
Sunday June 14, 09 / Genesis Cinema
Screening 3pm
Shorts and video-art from Kansk Video Festival (International program)
Screening 5.30pm
Premiere! ‘Blind Spot’, new film by Oleg Mavromatti, 83 min, 2009
day/evening 4 hours total

Genesis Cinema / www.genesiscinema.co.uk <http://www.genesiscinema.co.uk/>
93-95 Mile End Road
Whitechapel
London
E1 4UJ
(Stepney Green-district line)
turn right, keep walking straight cinema on left.
Bus numbers 25 and 205 stop outside the cinema.
Ticket costs:
£ 7.00
£ 4.50 students/concs
£ 15.00 3 day festival ticket
Booking line: 08700 60 60 61