Presentation of Aleksandr N. Sokurov's New Film Road Elegy

On 27 November, 2001, the Hermitage Theater hosted the Russian presentation of Aleksandr N. Sokurov's film Road Elegy (2001). "This premiere is an homage to the Hermitage. For me it is the most important place in Russia," said Aleksandr N. Sokurov at the presentation.
The film was introduced to the international public at the Venice Festival in September, 2001. Road Elegy was created in cooperation with Ideale Audience (France), Bereg Studio (Russia) and The Kasander Film Company (the Netherlands).

"...Both landscapes and portraits give us insight not so much into our modern life as into the invariable generic traits of various springs of the human existence. Led by the director's will, we come to the single center. He brings us at night to a deserted museum where we scrutinize Dutch paintings of the 16th century seeing in them the fleeing warmth of life and our age-long quest desire to come back to each other. Art gives us the only chance of this continuous rotation," says Aleksandra Tuchinskaya, editor of Aleksandr N. Sokurov's site.

The film presentation was part of the Russian Ark Project launched by Aleksandr N. Sokurov jointly with the Hermitage Bridge Studio. On 23 December, 2001, the State Hermitage will serve as a scenic ground for the film Russian Ark (temporary title: Waterloo) dedicated to the three centuries of the history of St. Petersburg. The ninety-minutes long feature film will be shot at a time, without camera stops or montage.
The film is coproduced by Fora-Film M (Moscow) and Egoli Tossel Film AG (Berlin). The project is sponsored by the European foundations FBB and MDM, Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Culture of the Federal Republic of Germany and the St. Petersburg Administration.
On 1 December the site of Aleksandr N. Sokurov's new project (www.russianark.ru) will be officially opened.

Aleksandr N. Sokurov at the film presentation

Vladimir Yu. Matveyev, Deputy Director of the State Hermitage Museum, greeting Aleksandr N. Sokurov

In the Hermitage Theater