KinoKlub April - Gagarinland

If you would like to contact the director, Vladimir Kozlov, please contact Samuel Crews: sam@academia-rossica.org  /  +44 (0) 207 287 2614 

(with English subtitles)

Mon 9 April 20.30 UK PREMIERE + Q&A with director Vladimir Kozlov

Tickets for non-member £12/£10
Films can sell out in advance. We advise you to book early to avoid disappointment.

France, Russia, 2010,  86 min
Writer and Director: Vladimir Kozlov
Cameras: Christian Deloiel, Olivier Pulinckx, Alain Saurat
Music:  Nicolas Debard
Production:  Les Doc du Nord, Les Films de La Castagne
 

KinoKlub are delighted to welcome director Vladimir Kozlov to London! Mr Kozlov will be attending the UK premiere of his documentary GAGARINLAND to introduce the film and take questions from the audience afterwards.

‘...a charming, refreshing film that boldly, and plausibly, proclaims itself the world’s first comic, cosmic film.’ KinoKultura

Winner of the Kinoglaz Best Documentary Award at ArtDoc Fest, Moscow, Vladimir Kozlov’s witty and poignant film examines the culture of Gagarin memorialisation in Russia. Through the skilful interweaving of archive footage with present-day interviews, we are introduced to a cast of colourful individuals living in the town of Gagarin, renamed in honour of its most famous son. All are attempting to commemorate Yuri Gagarin’s legacy in various ways; from the governor of the region, who is planning to build a ridiculously lavish theme-park to honour Gagarin’s memory, to the museum curator who obsessively collects Gagarin memorabilia for public display, the film portrays the frequently absurd ambitions of the town’s residents with affectionate humour.

Behind the light-hearted tone, however, is a serious and subtle comment on the nature of nationalism in contemporary Russia. This is an entertaining and absorbing insight into the legacy of the world’s first space man in post-Communist Russia.

Vladimir Kozlov

Vladimir Kozlov was born in 1956 in Minsk, Belarus, but now lives in France. After a degree at Belarus State University he took courses in film-making at VGIK in Moscow. From 1978-1992 he worked as an assistant director at Belarusfilm Studio and in 1992 started staging performances for French theatrical groups. Since 1992 he has been working as a documentary film-maker in both France and Russia, making numerous films for television. His filmography includes:  Music and Colours of Father Leonid (2002), The Small Russian Sister from the Abbey of Sylvanes (2004), Tughan Sokhiev (2006), The Rock Underground of Yuri Morozov (2006), The Rock – Monologue (2008), The Tenderness (2008) Merry Christmas Vladimir! (2010) and Leonov the Spacewalker (2011).