NIKITA KINO

By Vivian Ostrovsky
Edit, Sound edit: Vivian Ostrovsky, François Sculier.
Animation: George Griffin

Jet Lag Prod 2002
40’, 16mm, b/w & clr
Screening formats: 16mm –  Digital file – DCP
English and French version

The film is a travelogue of sorts.
In 1960 my family lived in Brazil when my father discovered his sister and brother in Moscow, who he hadn’t seen for 40 years, were still alive. Since they couldn’t leave the USSR we went to visit them regularly for about 15 years. At the time I had my 8mm then a super 8 camera with which I filmed the family, our outings, picnics, markets and their homes…
I decided to use this material, which was not very interesting per se, by mixing it with Soviet found-footage of the same period (1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s). I used feature films, propaganda footage, newsreels, etc. The result is a kind of Khruschev-era mix with a collage of Soviet music and a voice-over of my memories of the Cold War period.

 

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Screenings

Nikita Kino – 2002

Institut Français, London, United Kingdom, June 2019
Ensa, Limoges, France, November 2017
Cinema Nouveau Latina, Paris, France, June 2013
Closeup : Reminiscences: Vivian Ostrovsky & Jonas Mekas, London, UK, October 2011
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme, Paris, cycle “Mémoire familiale”, France, December 2006
Museo nacional Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain, November 2004
Image Forum Festival, Tokyo, Japan, April 2004
Jewish Film Festival Berlin, Germany, June 2003
Impakt Film festival, Utrecht, Netherlands, June 2003
TIFF cinematheque,Toronto, Canada, May 2003
Documentaire sur Grand écran, Paris, France, March 2003
Winsconsin film festival , Madison, USA,March 2003
Art-action, Paris, France, February 2003
Festival de court-metrage de Clermont-Ferrand, France, February 2003
Trieste film festival, Italy, January 2003
Stuttgart Film Winter, Germany, January 2003
Shadow documentary film festival, Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 2002
Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, USA, November 2002
Viennale, Vienne, Austria, October 2002
Locarno Film festival, Switzerland, August 2002
Curtas, Vila do Conde, Portugal July 2002
Mostra international de film de dones, Barcelona, Spain, June 2002
Rencontres internationales Paris / Berlin, April 2002
Festival de Films de Femmes, Créteil, France, March 2002
Seoul independent and documentary Film festival, South Korea, March 2002