THE ISLANDERS

 

The film tells a story of a clandestine child asylum in a Russian province organized by three Russian women. The action takes place in our time. Under a shabby roof of an abandoned bunkhouse of a former village school simple village women - a middle-aged Marina, a young Katerina and an old-aged Markelovna, with no other income besides their pension, hunting food in the woods, take care of thirteen homeless children . They take care for the children, pity them, imagine being great pedagogues bringing up their 'stray puppies'. On the New Year's eve strong-willed Marina undertakes a dangerous action that seems salvational to her: she writes letters to children in the name of their parents imitating different writings afraid of being disclosed. Sasha Soloviev, a homeless teenager is one of the asylum's children. Rambunctious and frail, he vexes Marina with his devilments and an ungoverned temperament. He had seen his mother die, killed by an alcoholic step father and those memories are alive in his infant mind. Contradictory characters of the volunteer mentors demonstrate themselves in the complicated relationship with Sasha who finds a letter written by Marina in the name of the hated stepfather...

 

The film was made with the financial support of private persons and organizations and with the organizational support of the Administration of the St. Petersburg region. With the gratuitous professional production and technical help of the LENFILM studio and the Dmitry  Meschiev's   production company "Turtle" ("Cherepaha").

 

Awards

 

The National Award "Strana", Winner of the award Kristina Kevish, film maker, nomination " Power of the Spirit"

The International Film Festival "Noah's Ark', "Best fiction film direction"

The International Human Rights Film Festival "Steps", "1-st prize for the best fiction film'  and

"Audience Choice Award"

Diploma of the XI Eurasian Teleforum in the nomination

"Russia's family. Children are our present"

Commemorative award of the "Best Russian Films" festival

"The Moscow House" Latvia, Riga

 

genre: social drama

(84 min., color  * HDV PAL * DOLBY SR)

Casting: Irina Demich, Svetlana Obidina, Lyubov Usacheva, Dima Zemlyanko, Vika Volkova. 

 

Movie trailer