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Rastorhuev

director: Evgeniya Ostanina

original title: Расторгуев

country: Russia, Norway

year: 2021

running time: 125 min.

synopsis

On 30 July 2018, Russian documentary filmmaker Alexander Rastorhuev, an award-winning filmmaker known for introducing innovative documentary practices inspired by digital technologies, experimental formats, and online communication, was killed in the Central African Republic. Using direct speech, excerpts from his famous and neglected works, and footage of the director at work, Evgenia Ostanina has managed to put together an evocative portrait of a man who left an indelible mark not only on Russian cinema, but also to open up the themes that were key for Rastorhuev - the meaning of art, the homeland, suffering, and, above all, truth.

"It was difficult for me to evaluate Rastorhuev as a director, I only tried to do so when I was making the film itself - I was mainly interested in looking at person very close to me from a distance. However, I was never aware of this process, nor did I analyze it in any way." (Evgeniya Ostanina)

biography

Evgeniya Ostanina (1991) completed her PhD studies at the Faculty of Philosophy and Cultural Studies of the Southern Federal University in Rostov-on-Don, where she also lectured. She worked as an editor on the films The Term (2014) and Kiev/Moscow (2015). With her husband Alexander Ratorhuev, she participated in the 80-part web documentary project Reality (2013–2021), and co-directed her feature documentary debut White Mama (2018) with Zosya Rodkevich.

more about film

director:	Evgeniya Ostanina
producer:	Yevgeny Gindilis
script:	Evgeniya Ostanina
editing:	Evgeniya Ostanina
sound:	Rostislav Korenblit
executive producer:	Max Tuula

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