The Light Thief(2010)

The Light Thief

 Director: Aktan Arym Kubat
 Country: France | Kyrgyzstan | Germany | Netherlands
 Runtime: 76




 In this colourful modern-day parable of good and evil, a humble village electrician devotes his compassion and ingenuity to destitute neighbours in a wind-swept valley of Kyrgyzstan.

Played with wry humanity by acclaimed writer-director Aktan Arym Kubat, the trusting “Mr. Light” strikes a suspect bargain with a rich developer running for local office, as unemployment threatens the survival of the community. Stoking a dream to supply wind-generated electricity to the whole valley, Mr. Light comes up against an
increasingly dark cloud of corruption.

The Desert of Forbidden Art (2010)

The Desert of Forbidden Art (2010)

Director: Tchavdar Georgiev & Amanda Pope
Country: Russia, USA, Uzbekistan
Runtime: 80min

Trace the incredible story of defiant visionary Igor Savitsky, an artist and museum curator who cunningly acquired more than 40,000 banned Soviet Union paintings and hid the illegal collection from the KGB in Uzbekistan's Nukus Museum. In addition to rare archival footage and interviews with the artists' children, this absorbing documentary also features letters and diary entries read by Ben Kingsley, Sally Field and Edward Asner

…a film that will be of interest to art lovers. It is the story of an art collector of thousands of pieces in Uzbekistan. The collection is now housed in a museum located in the desert area of that country. The film does beautifully photograph many gorgeous paintings that have not been seen in the United States. For that reason alone it is worth viewing. And, there is some rare archival footage of the USSR during the 1930s.

…an awesome documentary that clearly was created by filmmakers quite skilled in the art and craft of storytelling. Crisply edited, poignantly shot...I look forward to watching it a second time soon. Plus, it was an amazing opportunity to have an intimate glimpse into a place on the planet that I would love to visit -- Uzbekistan. At once so exotic sounding, and yet after watching the film, it became so familiar ... or perhaps a little more understood ...

…an awesome documentary that clearly was created by filmmakers quite skilled in the art and craft of storytelling. Crisply edited, poignantly shot...I look forward to watching it a second time soon. Plus, it was an amazing opportunity to have an intimate glimpse into a place on the planet that I would love to visit -- Uzbekistan. At once so exotic sounding, and yet after watching the film, it became so familiar ... or perhaps a little more understood ...

…This film takes us in to the life and times of a remarkable man who single-handed saved thousands of paintings and objects that were hidden from the authorities following the Bolshevik uprising and consequent suppression of art, especially modern, expressionistic art, that was the avant garde of that time. Many of the artists themselves were sent to the gulag for nothing more than being free-thinking painters. Their paintings were either destroyed or hidden. All of this hidden art eventually found a home, when Savitsky realized many people had them hidden away and were willing to trust him. He himself had gone far into the desert of Uzbekistan to get away from the new regime, and it was here that he started his secret museum. It came to hold over 40,000 works of art, and now enjoys a unique status.

…No art history degree is required - this movie is story of the person, portrait of epoch - distant and the current one. 

Cinematographicaly the movie is very well shot, it is well researched - never seen materials from Russia's Krasnogorsk film archives are used. Quite unusual but completely on the point is the citation from the cult Russian movie "White Sun of the Desert" (1970) 

The movie is not trying to depict the Soviet era as 70 years of horrors - it rather shows that it's up to individual to find his/her way while being artistically (as I.Savitsky himself) or politically rejected.

The editing of this movie is done more in line with Russian film-making tradition - which makes viewer to be much more emotionally involved then your standard History channel movie.

Overall it's rare case when we have a worthy subject, the passionate filmmakers and the best intentions of the authors of the movie are perfectly aligned with their capabilities to deliver.

In a remote region of a remote Soviet republic there once lived Igor Savitsky, a museum curator. If his profession had saints he would be among the most revered. In his half century career he filled his museum with art that was often (literally) on the verge of disappearing onto the dust heap of history. Not only did he acquire these works of art; he paid for them, with state allocated funds. A true "holy fool" for art, he relentlessly sought pieces for his museum up to the time of his death, with almost no government interference. Savitsky's story is enough, but the film also examines the lives and work of some of the artists who owed their artistic existence and legacy to this amazing man. It is a well structured and remarkably apolitical documentary, utilizing some of the great living narrators in contemporary English language film. The love for art has rarely been so well represented in a documentary, not to mention that the actual works of art are absolutely stunning.

…A memorable documentary, an incredible story of how 44,000 unknown works of art came to be in a museum in Upper Uzbekistan, a film that combines elements of a spy story, fascinating history, dangerous quests and a fear of the future. Absolutely stunning. 

What is not in the film is that this collection is located in a secret, off-the-maps city where Soviets experimented with gas, germ and nuclear warfare, and that is another reason why the outside world does not know about the city or the museum that is in it. 

I will never forget the images of the art in this film, paintings equal to or better than those of Impressionists seen in books and other museums. And remember: only 400 of the 44,000 paintings have ever been photographed. Most have never been catalogued!!

As a movie reviewer and concerned citizen, I have been recommending this marvelous film to everyone interested in humanity, art, and history. 


…In the midst of a totalitarian dictatorship, an eccentric man risks his life and uses his wiles to save what he values far more than his society does. What, you mean you've already seen "Schindler's List?!" But what if, instead of saving people, the man just saved art - tons and tons of splendid art?

This amazing story, with characters as wild and bizarre and wonderful as any you'll see in any flick, is terrifying, heartwarming, funny, and hugely human. Even if you're not an art-lover, this tale tells so much about our times, there's no way to not be moved. 

It's both a good and bad thing that this came out in a time when there were so many important and excellent documentaries that this got ignored by the Oscars. It's a movie for everyone - take your grandmother and your kids. Cannot recommend it enough.

…This is an amazing film about hidden treasure that is so vulnerable. I hope that something can be done to save this art and bring it to the world. The paintings are so vivid; I will never forget them.



I went to the website: "desertofforbiddenart.com" and immediately made a contribution to the book of paintings being planned. 

It is ironic, that after so many years of hiding the works from Stalin, it is now, in the twenty-first century, that the paintings are in the most danger.

But it is not only viewing the paintings that made such an impression on me, but the stories of the forgotten artists. The world should know who they were, and the incredible sacrifices they made to be painters.

27 Down(1974)

27 Down

Direction & Screenplay: Avtar Krishna Kaul
Cast: M K Raina, Rakhee, Rekha Sabnis, Om Shivapuri
Cinematography: Apurba Kishore Bir
Music: Bhuban Hari

Avtar Krishna Kaul's only feature film, which was finished shortly before he died trying to save someone from drowning.

 Anna (Om Shivpuri) and his son, Sanjay (M.K. Raina) live in a small town. Anna is a train-driver and works for the Railways. One day his train meets with an accident and he his right leg gets paralyzed. When Sanjay grows up, Anna gets him a job with the Railways as a Ticket Checker. Sanjay gets accustomed to his job so much that he starts more and more time on the train then in his house. During his travels he comes across a young lady passenger, Shalini (Raakhee). They meet often and explore having a relationship. Thinking that Shalini wants to marry him, he accompanies her to meet her grandfather and two siblings. He is shocked when Shalini introduces him as a married man, working as her co-worker. Sanjay, in disbelief, must find out why Shalini lied about this marital status and his employment with the Railways. His father finds out about his affair with Shalini, and arranges his marriage with another girl from the village. Sanjay, reluctantly marries but is unable to get Shalini out of his mind and heart. Written by rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

Chicken with Plums (2011)

Chicken with Plums (2011)

Director: Vincent Paronnaud | Marjane Satrapi
Country: France | Germany | Belgium
Runtime: 1 hour, 31 minutes

From the directors of Persepolis comes another enchanting film adaptation of a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. Chicken with Plums follows the last days of a talented musician’s life as he desperately seeks to replace his beloved instrumental, the violin. The year is 1958, the city Tehran. Celebrated violinist Nasser Ali Khan has an unexpected encounter with a longlost love, but she fails to recognize him. He returns home, has an argument with his wife and, most troublingly, discovers that his prized violin has been broken. He’s unable to replace it, can’t conceive of life without the consolation of music, and soon finds that he can’t get out of bed, where he lies locked both in dreams about his childhood and projections of his own children’s futures. His reveries lay somewhere between fantasy and oblivion, and quickly assemble into a kind of thriller, riddled with flashbacks and flash-forwards (as well as a vision of a naked Sophia Loren), that illuminates his peculiar persona and the source of his despair.

Based on the graphic novel by Iranian-born author Marjane Satrapi, Chicken with Plums marks the second instalment of a trilogy that began with Persepolis. Like that Academy Award®–nominated film, Chicken with Plums is co-directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Satrapi herself, whose transition from comics to movies is accompanied by a refreshing and imaginative approach to visual storytelling. The work draws upon innovations that span the entire history of cinema, from the striking shadows of German Expressionism to the punchy colour palette of early Technicolor films. Unlike its predecessor, Chicken with Plums is more live-action than animated, but it too is blazingly alive with visual flair.

Zenne Dancer (2012)

Zenne Dancer (2012)

Director: Caner Alper | Mehmet Binay
Country: Turkey
Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes


 “ZENNE DANCER” is the story of a trio of unlikely friends: AHMET – a boy from eastern Turkey born into a repressively conservative family; CAN (Djan) – a flamboyant male belly dancer (Zenne) nurtured by a loving and fiercely protective mother; and DANIEL – a wounded German war photographer who chances upon these interesting yet contrasting boys in Istanbul, a city bidding to become the ‘European Capital of Culture’ in 2008. Throughout the film, the audience is exposed to the humiliations endured by gays who are banned from serving in the Turkish army on the grounds that they are “sexually deviant” and therefore unfit to serve. Yet in order to be exempted, gays are required to provide photographs showing themselves engaged in passive sexual intercourse with a male partner. Some are forced to undergo invasive anal examinations in order to prove that they are gay. As the story unfolds, the audience also learns about Daniel’s scarring experiences in war-torn Afghanistan. Daniel’s western outlook inadvertently accelerates Ahmet’s looming death. Can’s fury and anguish find an outlet in his eerily graceful yet oddly asexual dances that punctuate the film.

“ZENNE DANCER” has been inspired by the true story of Ahmet YILDIZ, who was murdered for being gay at the age 26 by his own father in 2008.

Silent Sonata (2010)

Silent Sonata (2010)

Director: Janez Burger
Country: Slovenia 
Runtime: 1 hour 14 minutes






 A man stays alone with his children in a half demolished house in the middle of a desolate field. His wife has just been killed by a grenade in a military battle. He is expecting a new attack. Instead a wandering caravan called Circus Fantasticus stops by the house. They bring along the dying director of the circus. Is it possible for anything beautiful to happen in a landscape of war and death? Can life go on? Is it possible to realize that death does not exist?

Into the Abyss (2011)

Into the Abyss (2011)

Director:Werner Herzog
Country: USA | UK | Germany
Runtime:107min


In his fascinating exploration of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas, master filmmaker Werner Herzog probes the human psyche to explore why people kill-and why a state kills. In intimate conversations with those involved, including 28-year-old death row inmate Michael Perry (scheduled to die within eight days of appearing on-screen), Herzog achieves what he describes as "a gaze into the abyss of the human soul." Herzog's inquiries also extend to the families of the victims and perpetrators as well as a state executioner and pastor who've been with death row prisoners as they've taken their final breaths. As he's so often done before, Herzog's investigation unveils layers of humanity, making an enlightening trip out of ominous territory.

The Old Man Who Read Love Stories(2001)

The Old Man Who Read Love Stories

Director: Rolf de Heer
Country: Netherlands | France | Spain | Australia 
Runtime: 109 min




 The Old Man who Read Love Stories is one of those rare experiences you as a film audience will ever receive. It is a wonderful movie with excellent acting with Richard Dreyfuss as the all dominating force. Hugo Weaving shows why he is one of the worlds greatest character actors with his portrayal as the very loving and slightly lazy dentist. The story is really not important as it is the acting that really puts this film on the map. I don't mean this in a negative way, mind you!The plot is simply not that important once you hear the rusty voice of Dreyfuss doing a marvelous Spanish accent. The same goes for Weaving.

Monsieur Lazhar (2011)

Monsieur Lazhar (2011)

Director:Philippe Falardeau
Country:Canada

Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant, is hired to replace an elementary school teacher who died tragically. While the class goes through a long healing process, nobody in the school is aware of Bachir's painful former life; nor that he is at risk of being deported at any moment. Adapted from Evelyne de la Cheneliere's play, Bachir Lazhar depicts the encounter between two distant worlds and the power of self-expression. Using great sensitivity and humor, Philippe Falardeau follows a humble man who is ready to transcend his own loss in order to accompany children beyond the silence and taboo of death. Written by micro_scope

La source des femmes(2011)

La source des femmes(2011)

Director: Radu Mihaileanu
Country: Belgium
Runtime: 1 hour, 59 minutes

 Romanian-born filmmaker Radu Mihaileanu offers up another certifiably crowd-pleasing slice of world cinema in The Source (La Source des Femmes), a modern-day fable exploring female empowerment in the Arab world. Never one for subtlety, the writer-director tosses everything he can into this two-hour-plus humanist couscous, stirring in a mix of songs, sentiments and socio-religious questions set beneath breathtaking North African landscapes, and carried by a strong central performance from actress Leila Bekhti. Like his previous films, The Source boasts an Arthouse for Beginners appeal that could reach broad audiences beyond Europe. Beautifully photographed amongst the harsh light of the dry, desert landscapes, The Source frequently feels like a musical and the women constantly burst into song as a way of expressing their feelings and grievances.

Set in a mountain village in an unnamed country (most likely Morocco; the Arab dialect spoken is Moroccan), the film tells the story of a group of village women who, fed up with the unwillingness of the men to help them with the straining task of fetching water from a mountaintop source each day, decide to organize a 'love strike': no more sex until the men either help with the water haul or arrange for running water to come to the village. At the forefront of this 'revolution' is Leila, wife of the village's school teacher Sami. An outsider in the village (she was not born there), and married to a progressive husband, Leila urges the women to fight for a better life. Not all the women want to go against tradition, and it earns her the scorn of her mother-in-law, so it is only with help from the well-respected widow Mother Rifle that Leila manages to organize the strike. As if the opposition of both the men and the more conservative women is not enough, things are complicated by a journalist coming to the village, who turns out to be a former sweetheart of Leila before she was married off to Sami. This puts her at risk of losing one of her strongest allies, her husband.