----- Original Message -----
From: Tejinder Jouhal
Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2004 5:42 PM
Subject: Larissa Shepitko Retrospective at the ICA Cinemas 10-27 Jan 05
ICA TICKETS AND INFORMATION 0207 930 3647 - www.ica.org.uk - [log in to unmask]
10 - 27 Jan 2004
Larissa Shepitko Retrospective
At the time of her tragic death in 1979, Ukrainian-born Larissa Shepitko had established herself as
one of the most important Russian filmmakers of her generation. She left behind a small but
remarkable body of work including her 1976 masterpiece, The Ascent.
10 - 12 Jan 6.15pm (10th only); 8.30pm
The Ascent (Voskhozhdeniye)
'Extraordinary...a remarkable piece of work' Variety
A poetic powerhouse, with some truly breathtaking cinematography, Shepitko's final film depicts the
plight of doomed Soviet partisans in Nazi-occupied Belorussia who are captured and tortured by
Germans and their local collaborators. The film stands as a symbolic retelling of the crucifixion.
Winner of the Golden Bear at the 1977 Berlin Film Festival.
Dir Larissa Shepitko, Soviet Union 1976, 111 mins, Subs
11 - 12 Jan, 6.30pm
You and Me (Ty I Ya)
Shepitko's third feature confirmed her reputation as a world-class filmmaker, telling the story of
two surgeons who betray an early promise to pursue comfortable lives and false values in later life.
When one of the pair tires of luxury, he returns to his native Siberia to resume a local practice.
Dir Larissa Shepitko, Soviet Union 1971, 97 mins, Subs
17 - 18 Jan, 6.30pm
Farewell (Proshchaniye s Matyoroi)
'One of the most important Soviet films of the decade' Variety
Shepitko had just begun location work on Farewell when she was killed in a car crash. Completed by
her husband, director Elem Klimov, it became one of the key works of Glasnost cinema. The film
concerns a 300-year-old Siberian peasant community that is forced to relocate to a set of faceless
apartment blocks.
Dir Elem Klimov, Soviet Union 1983, 108 mins, Subs
19 - 21 Jan, 6.30pm
Heat (Znoi)
Shot in gruelling conditions on the barren steppes, the film renders serious political drama as a
cowboy showdown when an idealistic high school graduate goes to work on a state farm, only to clash
with its authoritarian Stalinist leader.
Dir Larissa Shepitko, Soviet Union 1963, 85 mins, Subs
19 - 21 Jan, 8.30pm
Wings (Krylya)
'A milestone in the development of Soviet cinema' Variety
Shepitko's controversial second feature cleverly dramatises the awkwardness of the post-war
generation gap. The film features an outstanding performance by Maya Bulgakova as Nadezha Petrovna -
once-famous fighter pilot and loyal Stalinist who, at 41-years-old, becomes a provincial
schoolmistress.
Dir Larissa Shepitko, Soviet Union 1966, 90 mins, Subs
26 - 27 Jan, 6.30pm
Poem of the Sea (Poema O More)
Shepitko went to the VGIK State Film School as a pupil of the Russian master Aleksandr Dovzhenko,
the director of Earth and Arsenal. She began her career as an assistant to Elena Sointseva,
Dovzhenko's wife, and together they completed his swansong Poem of the Sea, on which he was working
prior to his death. A fittingly elegiac tale of the collective mourning for a Ukrainian village due
to be flooded to make way for the construction of an artificial sea.
Dir A. Dovzhenko, Y. Solntseva, Soviet Union 1959, 95 mins, Subs
26 - 27 Jan, 8.30pm
Beginning of an Unknown Era & Larissa (Nachalo Nevedomogo Veka)
An omnibus film to rival the power of classic silent Soviet cinema, Unknown Era commemorates the
50th anniversary of the October Revolution. Shepitko's segment 'Homeland of Electricity' recounts a
young engineer's efforts to introduce electric power to a famine-stricken village. Dirs Larissa
Shepitko, Andrei Smirnov, Soviet Union 1967, 73 mins, Subs
With Larissa A moving tribute to Larissa Shepitko created by her widower Elem Klimov. The film
contains footage from all her films, illustrating her own words about her life and work. Dir Elem
Klimov Soviet Union 1980, 25 mins, Subs
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