The film “Persons of Action” got a special screening at the «Spirit of Fire” film festival at the Yugra-Classic Concert and Theater Centre in Khanty-Mansiysk. The film director and producer Vladimir Golovnev, a member of the Russian Filmmakers Union, told the audience about his film and answered their questions.
«This is a documentary about ordinary people living in villages and small towns. Each of the five stories in the film is remarkable and touching in its own way. The characters are in different stages of life, from middle-aged to elderly. Our idea was to prove that no matter how old you are or where you live, everything is in your own hands», emphasized Vladimir Golovnev.
The film consists of five stories, the protagonists are different in age, gender and ethnicity, they have different professions and life circumstances. What they have in common is love, misfortune and dreams. And efforts, that they put into solving one problem, help to solve other issues, too, and achieve lasting change. Thus, the story of a family from Ryazan is about the importance of maintaining trust in the family. The protagonists have eight children and they run a Parents and Children Relief Centre. The father is a great example of how one should understand their children, feel for them, regardless of whether they are your own or adopted.
The family started growing incidentally – they decided to adopt a child because the woman could not get pregnant. «Why should he be the only one?» And so the second one arrived. And then came the long-hoped for pregnancy. After the birth of two more children, the joy gave way to both parents’ emotional burnout. They had no one to help them, and all they heard was criticism: «Why did you adopt them if you can’t cope?» That was the impulse was starting a Parents Relief Centre.
Along with the short story about the big family, there were four other stories that touched on other relevant themes: the importance of keeping the traditions alive, listening to one’s inner child, becoming united in the face of adversity, and developing schoolchildren’s interests. Among the protagonists of the film is Marina Kabakova, a museum worker from the village of Kazym in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District. She saves Khanty people from extinction by passing down centuries-old cultural traditions to them. The story about this Yugorian woman is titled “The Kazym people».
Elizaveta Petrova, a student of a Yugra university, shared her impressions after the screenings: «Every story tells us about people who surround us every day, but few can guess what a valuable and important contribution they make to the society. I am very happy that I was able to learn their stories on the screen. Many thanks to the Timchenko Foundation, and I am especially grateful to Vladimir Golovnev and Pavel Tikhonov for the amazing stories».
You can watch all the short stories from the film «Persons of Action» at the official channel of the Timchenko Foundation on RuTube: rutube.ru/plst/211277.
