Born in Moscow, Vasilisa Kuzmina is a younger Russian filmmaker and scriptwriter. After getting a B.F.A. in appearing on the Moscow Drama Faculty, Kuzmina debuted as a movie director with the net sequence “Alisa,” which premiered on the SXSW Movie Competition in 2020 within the Pilot Competitors Program. “Nika” is her first characteristic movie.
“Nika” is screening on the 2022 SXSW Movie Competition, which is happening March 11-20. Discover extra info on the fest’s web site.
W&H: Describe the movie for us in your individual phrases.
VK: “Nika” is our first characteristic impressed by the story of Nika Turbina, a as soon as world-famous Soviet youngster poet, and by the age of 27, a forgotten lady who fights along with her previous and for her future.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
VK: I used to be all the time fascinated by the sturdy persona of Nika Turbina — an unconditionally gifted, wonderful lady — which appeared to withstand the inexorable destiny all her life. However on the identical time, it’s not simply the non-public story of the forgotten youngster poet. No surprise Nika’s story is symptomatic in some ways: many late-Soviet youngster prodigies didn’t discover a place for themselves within the ’90s, and their lives ended tragically. In addition to, now within the period of social media numerous youngsters grow to be extraordinarily well-liked at a extremely early stage of their lives, and for some it’s simply unattainable to deal with.
Due to this fact, the picture of our Nika, though an impressed biography of Nika Turbina, turned out to be to some extent a portrait of the period and the final generations of Soviet youngsters, who within the late ’90s had been on the lookout for happiness and themselves in an unrecognizable panorama of the brand new nation. On the identical time, [it’s also a look at] at the moment’s well-liked youngsters on social media, and their potential methods to deal with that.
W&H: What was the largest problem in making the movie?
VK: The most important problem I suppose was the choice to shoot the film on 35mm movie. In Russia they don’t actually shoot on movie anymore, however we did our greatest to influence our producers to allow us to try this. We actually needed to take care of a excessive diploma of authenticity, subsequently it was necessary for us to shoot this film with a shifting digital camera and on movie so as to obtain a reside, tangible picture.
W&H: How did you get your movie funded? Share some insights into how you bought the movie made.
VK: I pitched this challenge to my professors in movie faculty. They’re additionally producers and house owners of a movie studio in Russia. And so they liked the concept, in order that they determined to provide me that chance.
W&H: What impressed you to grow to be a filmmaker?
VK: Wong Kar-wai, David Lynch, Wes Anderson, Woody Allen, Pedro Almodóvar, Andrey Tarkovskiy, Sergei Eisenstein, Quentin Tarantino, Abbas Kiarostami, Paul Thomas Anderson, Michael Haneke, Kira Muratova, Gaspar Noé, Gus Van Sant, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Clint Eastwood, David Fincher, Alice Rohrwacher, Georgiy Daneliya, and Cristi Puiu.
W&H: What’s the perfect and worst recommendation you’ve acquired?
VK: Greatest: Strive to not compromise.
The worst recommendation, I by no means bear in mind.
W&H: What recommendation do you may have for different ladies administrators?
VK: JUST DO IT.
W&H: Identify your favourite woman-directed movie and why.
VK: Tatyana Lioznova’s “Three Poplars on Plyuschikha Road.” The sort of film Abbas Kiarostami would really like.
W&H: How are you adjusting to life throughout the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you retaining inventive, and in that case, how?
VK: In the course of the first lockdown, my greatest buddy Yulia Gulyan — who can be a script author of the film — and I truly wrote the primary draft of “Nika.” So at first I used to be feeling actually grateful for the chance to be in silence at house along with her, with no rush. However, in fact, now everyone seems to be getting drained. I discover salvation at my cozy house, with candles, inspiring films, and Russian literature.
W&H: The movie trade has a protracted historical past of underrepresenting folks of coloration on display and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — detrimental stereotypes. What actions do you suppose should be taken to make it extra inclusive?
VK: Certainly, there’s an enormous downside and sadly a protracted historical past of underrepresentation in cinema. Each single resolution issues, be it casting for a filmmaker or crew-forming for a producer. Furthermore, I imagine within the energy of the phrase, and I’m positive we must always hold speaking about it wherever we will. The extra we spotlight the issue, the extra consideration we draw, the extra actual actions are taken.
