At Rustam Ibragimbekov’s evening they remembered life without fences

The Forum of National Cinematographies, which was founded in 1998, is being held in Moscow for the 18th time. In recent years, he took a break and only now resumed his work without his creator – an outstanding person of our time, director and film playwright Rustam Ibragimbekov, who is known from the films “White Sun of the Desert”, “Keep Me My Talisman”, “Urga. Territory of Love”, “The Barber of Siberia”, “Burnt by the Sun”. He passed away on March 11, 2022, and now his daughter Fatima Ibragimbekova continues his work.

At the evening in memory of Rustam Ibragimbekova, which was held as part of the forum that now bears his name, actress, screenwriter and producer Fatima Ibragimbekova spoke about what her father had said more than once: “I remember well the times when neighbors gathered in the yard for one wide table, and everyone brought their own treat. And then it was time to build fences. The more achievements, the higher the fences and the stronger the desire to hide everything for fear of losing. I wish we all return to wide tables and not build high fences. When we have more of something, we need to make tables wider, not higher fences! The “Golden Arch” was conceived by Rustam Ibragimbekov to overcome the highest fences so that we would happily and neighborly gather at wide tables and share our achievements. Cinema is meant to unite!”

Rustam Ibragimbekov, as the head of the Confederation of Unions of Cinematographers of the CIS and Baltic Countries and the Forum of National Cinematographies, made titanic efforts to unite filmmakers of the post-Soviet space, organized a film school where people of the new generation from the CIS and Baltic countries learned the basics of the film profession. And the international prize “East-West. He organized the Golden Arch with the same intentions. Now it is impossible to carry out much in the originally conceived form, taking into account the current geopolitical situation. We have to start from scratch.

To ensure that the activities of the Confederation did not cease, it was decided to revive the Forum of National Cinematographies. The emphasis is on educational programs and support for students of film schools from those countries that participated in the activities of the Confederation. Recently it has been headed by Belarusian actor Viktor Vasilyev.

A series of lectures by famous filmmakers was held online for students and graduates of creative universities from different countries. Kazakhstan was in the lead, where cinema is developing rapidly. Cameraman from Almaty Talgat Taishanov spoke about the difficulties that he and his colleagues face on the set, about the multi-camera method of working in film and television. Kazakh production designer Marat Imanbergen shared his experience of creating scenery for the TV series “Kanysh Kazyna” and the feature film “Mad Karim”, and spoke about the peculiarities of working on historical projects. His compatriot and director Azat Khakimov spoke about the documentary approach to feature films. Belarusian cameraman and director Pyotr Krivostanenko dedicated a master class to visualizing the script. The famous Soviet and Uzbek actor Rustam Sagdullaev, whom we love and remember from the films “Only Old Men Go to Battle,” “Tenderness,” and “Lovers,” shared his experience of working in modern cinema, which is sometimes difficult for representatives of his generation.

The range of participating countries this year narrowed, but it was still represented by Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. For the first time, a new nomination appeared – “Best Student Debut”. The forum jury was headed by a close friend of Rustam Ibragimbekov, a classic of Soviet and Russian cinema, film playwright Pavel Finn. He and his colleagues announced the winners on the opening day of the forum.

The best feature film was the film from Tajikistan “The Water Boy” by Fayzullo Fayzov, which has already received a number of prizes around the world. It is based on a story by the late screenwriter and director Bakhtiyor Khudoynazarov, which he himself wanted to film. Then a trilogy would have formed, beginning with the films “Moon Dad” and “Waiting for the Sea.” Filming of “Water Boy” took place on a reservoir, which is as huge as the sea. Bakhtiyor once filmed “Moon Dad” there. This is a story about a poor family living in a fishing village. The sea is life. It supplies energy to a vast area. Patriarchal life is changing, and people often do not realize what they are doing. The boy Ramses spends all his days at and near the sea and believes that the sea loves him. The blue of the first frames, where people are making a “road” to the sea, is striking in its beauty. Filmmakers come to the village. These colorfully dressed people with long hair seem strange to the locals, but they offer a chance to earn extra money. Ramses’s father, Safar, is undergoing a casting, and he is approved for the role of Khoja Nasreddin. His wife is tired of poverty, of her husband’s reluctance to move to the city and wants to divorce him. But leaving won’t solve anything. The jury made the right choice, bringing a lot to the table with their decision.

Fayzullo Fayzov himself was born in a small village. He graduated from the acting department of the Tajik Institute of Culture and Arts named after M. Tursun-zade, then studied directing at the Tehran University of Arts. “Water Boy” is his feature film debut.

Among the documentary films, the jury noted the Kyrgyz “Postman” by Ibadulla Adzhibaev about a 60-year-old postman from the village of Kosh-Tash. He spends his days delivering correspondence and pensions to his fellow villagers; in summer and winter, in any weather, he goes to the most remote places; sometimes he cannot get into someone’s house because of a menacing dog. A simple and touching picture with a very cute and simple-minded hero is truly exotic for us.

Yana Skopina’s debut “Summer will end soon”, filmed in Kazakhstan about a once multinational court, was noted. Yana was born in Almaty, studied on a course with Sergei Solovyov and inherits his traditions. She talked about the “last summer of childhood” in the 90s, where Tsoi’s songs are heard, and the characters experience first love, first joys and disappointments. The movie is a little old-fashioned in its aesthetics, but that’s what makes it so attractive.

Among the student works, the jury chose the Azerbaijani “Well”. Beginning director Elnur Pasha spoke about a well-digging master. He has to dig the fortieth. Among the short films, “The Younger Brother of Angels” by Umedsho Mirzoshirinov from Tajikistan was noted. In a family where there is already a small son, newborns do not survive. They become angels, as the boy himself thinks. And adults believe that he himself brings trouble. In order for none of this to happen in life, the guy decides to perform a tragic ritual. The director of the film studied at VGIK in an acting course with Mikhail Gluzsky, and then in the director’s workshop of Vladimir Naumov. Now his small painting travels around the world and has already received several awards. The best animated film was “Blues” from Armenia about elderly musicians and their unfulfilled dreams. All these films are very different, but each is like a philosophical story about a life that is not always happy, which certainly gives the heroes some kind of chance.