Der 10. Mai
When Nazi Germany invaded the Benelux, Switzerland faced the question: what if we’re next? Restored 1950s masterpiece.
93'
Switzerland
IFFR 2021
During the summer of 2016, a fishing boat near the shores of Iceland made a most curious catch: four reels of 35mm film, seemingly of Soviet provenance. Excitement about what this could be quickly faded, though. As it turned out, this wasn’t a lost work of maybe even major importance, but merely an incomplete print of a well-loved (and perfectly preserved) popular comedy called Derevenskij detektiv (1969, Ivan Lukinskij), which translates as The Village Detective.
So just fit for the trash, as this has zero archival or commercial value? Bill Morrison thought otherwise. For him, this heavily water-damaged mess full of holes, and the way it surfaced, could be seen as a fitting reflection on the life of Mihail Žarov, the star of Derevenskij detektiv, who loved this role so much that he even co-directed a sequel to it. This is how Morrison’s journey into Soviet history, film and beyond started.
IFFR 2021
Programme IFFR 2021
A sphere of collective remembrance and imagination offering restored classics, documentaries on film culture, and explorations of cinema’s heritage.
Read more about this programmeWhen Nazi Germany invaded the Benelux, Switzerland faced the question: what if we’re next? Restored 1950s masterpiece.
93'
Switzerland
IFFR 2021
As Japanese monsters like Godzilla have so often saved the world, could they now help us fight Covid-19? Find out here!
88'
Japan
IFFR 2021
Can we find a different feminism in the images of state-sponsored Soviet documentaries about women and their role in socialism? Yes.
20'
Russia
IFFR 2021