Films on Russian Avant-garde by Michael Craig

These films were made by Michael Craig, a producer and director living and working in Moscow for the past decade. So far six films were created, and more will be made in future. All six  films were shot in Moscow, apart from "David Burliuk and the Japanese Avant-garde" which was shot mostly in Japan and  "Kandinsky and the Russian House" which was shot in Munich as well as Moscow.

Please note, that each DVD may come in either NTSC or PAL format. Both links are provided, for your convenience.

If you like to contact Michael Craig, see contact details below.

Films:

Meyerhold, Theatre and the Russian Avant-garde

This is the NTSC version of the film.

This is the Pal version.

Alexander Rodchenko and the Russian Avant-garde

This is the NTSC version of the film.

This is the Pal version.

Kandinsky and the Russian House

This is the NTSC version of the film.

This is the Pal version.

Architecture and the Russian Avant-garde

This is the NTSC version of the film.

This is the Pal version.

Mayakovsky

This is the NTSC version of the film.

This is the Pal version.

David Burliuk and the Japanese Avant-garde

This is the NTSC version of the film.

This is the Pal version.

The Desert of the Forbidden Art

DVD (2011). Directed by: Chavdar Georgiev, Amanda Pope.

How does art survive in a time of oppression? During the Soviet rule artists who stay true to their vision are executed, sent to mental hospitals or Gulags.

Their plight inspires young Igor Savitsky. He pretends to buy state-approved art but instead daringly rescues 40,000 forbidden fellow artist's works and creates a museum in the desert of Uzbekistan, far from the watchful eyes of the KGB. Though a penniless artist himself, he cajoles the cash to pay for the art from the same authorities who are banning it. Savitsky amasses an eclectic mix of Russian Avant-Garde art. But his greatest discovery is an unknown school of artists who settle in Uzbekistan after the Russian revolution of 1917, encountering a unique Islamic culture, as exotic to them as Tahiti was for Gauguin. They develop a startlingly original style, fusing European modernism with centuries-old Eastern traditions.

Ben Kingsley, Sally Field and Ed Asner voice the diaries and letters of Savitsky and the artists. Intercut with recollections of the artists' children and rare archival footage, the film takes us on a dramatic journey of sacrifice for the sake of creative freedom. Described as "one of the most remarkable collections of 20th century Russian art" and located in one of the world's poorest regions, today these paintings are worth millions, a lucrative target for Islamic fundamentalists, corrupt bureaucrats and art profiteers. The collection remains as endangered as when Savitsky first created it, posing the question whose responsibility is it to preserve this cultural treasure.

Official Website:

Click here to visit the official website of The Desert of Forbidden Art and learn more about the filmmakers and the project.