June 5, 2008 Natalia Nazarova: The project on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera is completed

Kinobiznes Segodnya # 11 (157) 09.06-22.06.2008

A non-feature film entitled “Incredible Adventures of Diego Diegovich in the Country of Bolshevicks. Diego Rivera's Russian trace”, dedicated to the life and creative work of the legendary Mexican painter whose name is mentioned in the film's title, was included into the official program of the 30th International Public Television (INPUT) conference that was held from 4 to 10 May in Johannesburg. The director of “Diego Diegovich” Natalia Nazarova told a reporter of the Kinobiznes Segodnya magazine about the work on this film and the previous film “Frida vs. Frida”.

Sergey Nekrasov: Did the participation of your film on the great Mexican muralist painter in INPUT influence the distribution fate of Diego Diegovich on the Russian and foreign television?

Natalia Nazarova: It's difficult to answer this question so far, as it's not been a long time since the 30th Internationa Public Television conference ended. Anyway, I'm sure that the participation of “Diego Diegovich” in INPUT will in any case have some positive consequences, if not for TV distribution of the film (it was several times shown on the Kultura channel), then for DVD sales in Russia and abroad. By the way, the disc released by Vox Video will not only feature the film on Diego Rivera but also “Frida vs. Frida”, my film about his wife Frida Kahlo, an outstanding Mexican painter.
My participation in a dispute on INPUT that took place in Russia some time ago was highly important. All the authors of the films selected for the preluiminary round of this conference took part in the dispute. Based on the results of the dispute, three works were selected, and it was they that presented this country in Johannesburg, including the “Incredible Adventures of Diego Diegovich int eh Country of Bolshevicks”. Another two films, The Eternal by Irina Vasilyeva and Hello, Willie! by Raisa Malova are very good, to my opinion. In case with my film, I think it attracted the public not only with its plot and its realization but also the great number of chronical and documentary archive materials chronologically related to the time of two visits of the great painter to this country, in 1927 and in 1954.
- What genre of non-feature film art do you think to be the most interesting for today's mass public?

- I'm a painter by training, and it's not been long since I started making documentary films. My professional tasks do not include studying the tastes of the audience. Nevertheless, as far as I can see, there is a stable interest towards non-feature biographic films in certain circles of the public (thought not very wide circles). And if a film tells about such famous figures as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, attention of the spectators, both professionals whose activity is connected with painting and those who is just interested in art, is guaranteed for the project.

- How could you assess the state's policy of supporting Russian non-feature films?

- One thing is clear to me: Russian documentary film industry will just disappear without the state's support. Both Frida vs. Frida and Incredible Adventures of Diego Diegovich in the Country of Bolshevicks were created with financial support from the Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography. I hope that support for non-feature projects in this country will only increase, otherwise Russian documentary film industry will not survive. It's only with the help of the state that it will be able to maintain its global status that is rather how by now.

- The film “Incredible Adventures of Diego Diegovich int eh Coutnry of Bolshevicks was a logical continuation of the film “Frida vs. Frida”. What was so attractive for you in the fates of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera? Did Julie Tamor's Frida influence the choice of the subject matter?

- The creation of “Diego Diegovich” is the last stage of my art project that started several years ago (I'd like to note that this film differs a lot from Frida vs. Frida in terms of how the material is given, and it has almost nothing in common with the previous movie in terms of plot). It's been a long time since I'm interested in the life and creative work of Frida Kahlo. Some of my articles (for example, in the Alfavit newspaper) on her and Diego Rivera were published long before Julie Tamor's film you've mentioned was released. I was attracted by the fact that, out of all women painters of the world, Frida seems to have made the largest contribution to art.
As to the film Frida with Salma Hayek in the lead role, my exhibition “Vs. Frida” that opened on January 24, 2003, in Moscow's Crokin Gallery was dated to the first run of that movies in Russia; it was the first stage of the project mentioned before. As part of the exhibition, figures of Moscow's Bohemia (such as Renata Litvinova), artists and gallery workers took photos against the background of an enlarged replica of Frida Kahlo's self-portrait. Then, to the 50th anniversary of Frida's death marked all over the world in 2004, I made Frida vs. Frida. This film won a number of Russian and foreign film prizes. Among them are prizes of the IX Zolotoy Buben International TV Program and TV Film Festival held in Khanty-Mansiysk in the nominations, Documentary Film and Documentary Film Director, a special Evald Shorm Prize “For the Best Film on Art” at the festival of AFO Olomouc Film Academy in Chechia in 2005, Lavr National Non-feature Film Prize for the best documentary film and TV debut based on the outcomes of 2005, and Isabella Liddell Prize for the best film on art at Ann Arbor Film Festival. Then, to the 50th anniversary of Diego Rivera's death, “Diego Diegovich” was created last year. By the way, my film not only took part in Johannesburg INPUT but also in the Novoe Kino XXI Vek International Film Festival that was held in Nizhny Novgorod in 2007, and the film was awarded with a special diploma “For the Combination of Traditional Legibility with Bright Innovation”. And finally, a DVD was released with those two films, with a translation into English. I hope that spectators in various countries of the world will be able to see Frida vs. Frida and Diego Diegovich. As you see, the project dedicated to the two famous Mexican painters was rather large-scale. And it was completed with a release of a DVD.

- You took part in the writing of the scripts for “Frida” and “Diego Diegovich”. What does it mean? How were the duties distributed between you and the scriptwriter for those films Larisa Malyukova when creating the dramaturgical base of the films?

- I carried out a preparatory study and gathered all the necessary information, including selection of chronicle materials, and Larisa, whom I learnt at Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France many years ago, joined the project at the stage of writing the script for Frisda vs. Frida. Her participation in the film is invaluable. She was so quick to understand me. I'm sure it would be much more difficult for me to create both films as part of a single concept without Malyukova.

- By the way, how were the voices selected who read the voiceover text in “Frida” and “Diego Diegovich”?

- From the very beginning, I was absolutely sure that only Inna Churikova had to record the voice of both the young and mature Frida. We turned to her, and she showed understanding for our project, and I'm extremely grateful to her for that. This great actress could fully express with her voice the features of the Mexican painter that are most interesting for me such as irony, ability to self-analysis, etc. For me, Frida's image is now inseparably associated with Inna Churikova.
As to “Diego Diegovich”, it was the case I had a great luck of working with actor Alexander Filippenko. He's also an absolutely unique master, and a subtle and well-educated person. He had to record the soundtrack after a difficult performance, but his weariness wasn't in any way reflected in the quality of his work. He rendered Diego's character exactly. I was very much satisfied with our cooperation.

- “Diego Diegovich” was decorated with interesting animated inserts. Tell me how this idea appeared?

- I've been dreaming for a long time to create Diego Rivera's animated image. As for me, the appearance and character of the great Mexican painter fully fit for that, which, by the way, cannot be said about many other famous painters. Rivera drew a caricature of himself once, which helped very much to the embodiment of my idea. As a result, a slightly grotesque personage appeared, visually based on the painter's drawing. Animated inserts, that is, 4 motions (the character goes towards us, moves across the screen surface, jumps over the wall and takes a bow on the Red Square) lasting 25 seconds in total, were created at the Center of National Film studio, like both the films.

- What was the production budget for “Diego Diegovich”?

- Very small, I would even say minimum - 900 thousand rubles. That is, the production of one minute screen time cost us less than a thousand Dollars. This is very inexpensive for a film with animated inserts.

- The painter's daughter Lupe Rivera, a Marxism-Leninism historian, took part in the production of “Diego Diegovich” and “Frida”. Was it easy for you to get her consent? Did she see your films, and if yes, what was her attitude towards them?

- It was extremely uneasy to interview Lupe Rivera. She usually puts down such proposals. But for several years after the exhibition “Vs. Frida” at the Crokin Gallery, I had been mainteaining correspondence with her through the Mexican embassy, and I'm very thankful to its employees for the help they rendered. Besides, I also wrote letters to Rakel Tibol, a prominent researcher of Frida Kahlo's and Diego Rivera's work. As you see, those long-term efforts were not in vain. When I came to Mexico to do the shooting, both women agreed to meet me and answer my questions before the camera.
I know that both Lupe Rivera and Rakel Tibol watched “Frida vs. Frida”. As far as I know, they like the film.
An invaluable help during the shooting in Mexico was rendered to me by my friend Serjio Oljovich, a Mexican non-feature film director who used to study at VGIK (All-Russian State Film Institute). Under his support, the local camera crew was formed (I could not bring my own one due to strict budgetary limitations). By the way, we managed to shoot a part of the material at the famous Blue House Frida had lived in. Julie Tamor was not allowed to shoot there, and Frida's makers had to build the set dressing.

- The Center of National Film studio where “Frida” and “Diego Diegovich” were created, is taking part in the Cannes Film Market Marche Du Film. Are “Diego Diegovich” and “Frida” included into teh CNF package?

- Yes, and “Frida” has been enjoying stable demand from customers from various countries of the world for several years in a row. I hope “Diego Diegovich” will arouse a similar interest of our foreign partners (the interview took place shortly before the opening of the next Marche du Film - Editorial comment).

- And the last traditional question - your creative plans. What movie are you working at now? You're your “Mexican series” be continued? - The “Mexican series” are over. This project was completed with the release of a DVD with “Diego Diegovich” and “Frida vs. Frida”. Now I'm working at the film on the Nobel Prize for Boris Pasternak. It's interesting that it's been 50 years already after that event. It will also be a conceptual project but it's too early so far to tell about its details.

Sergey Nekrasov