Christ Lives in Siberia

Jaak Kilmi, Arbo Tammiksaar / Estonia, Finland / 2015 / International Premiere / 85 min.

synopsis

After the breakup of the Soviet Union, a Siberian policeman claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, and together with his followers set up Sun City in remote Siberia as an outpost of Christian life. Over a decade later, a mother of four children decides to leave her husband and life in Saint Petersburg behind and heads east with her offspring. The expected classic denouement of this tale does not, however, come to pass. To the contrary - this purely observational documentary shows that the coexistence of the breakaway religious group is problematic in some aspects, but despite that, it is a functional way of life in today’s complicated world.

DETAIL:
“We have to work for the children, for the future. That’s the right way, then everything will turn out right. They won’t have to live through the convulsions, the tough times which we had. It can all be different for them.”

biography

Arbo Tammiksaar is an artist and designer whose work has been exhibited in New York, Berlin, and Helsinki. He also makes films; of particular note is his documentary Nazis and Blondes (2008). Jaak Kilmi is an award-winning Estonian director of advertising spots, documentaries, and feature-length films. His film Disco & Atomic War (2009) received the Silver Eye Prize, awarded annually at the East Silver Market for Eastern European documentary films that runs concurrently with the Jihlava IDFF.

more about film

director:	Jaak Kilmi, Arbo Tammiksaar
producer:	Margus Õunapuu, Kaarle Aho
script:	Arbo Tammiksaar, Jaak Kilmi
photography:	Arbo Tammiksaar, Jaak Kilmi
editing:	Mirjam Jegorov
music:	Andre Pichen
sound:	Kaur Kask, Markku Tiidumaa