In Search of a Lost Paradise is a 2015 German-Russian documentary by Evgeniy Tsymbal and Alexander Smoljanski which tells the story of Russian artist Valentina Kropivnitskaya and her husband, the artist Oscar Rabin.
Aside from the biography of the artists, the film also addresses their thoughts about twentieth-century art. The documentary was directed by Evgeny Tsymbal.
In Search of a Lost Paradise is the recipient of a Nika Award 2016 for Best Documentary Feature.
Background In 1974, Rabin and Kropivnitskaya organized a prohibited open-air art exhibition, which was smashed by the KGB using bulldozers. The following day the event was publicized worldwide. In 1977, Oscar Rabin was placed under house arrest and shortly thereafter, the family was exiled from the USSR and stripped off their citizenship. However, this historical event forced the Soviets to change their stance regarding art.
They came to France without any money and not knowing a single word of French - they continued pursuing their artistic passion, and gradually became famous painters.
Production The pre-production started in 2008 when producer Alexander Smoljanski, who was then living in Paris, discovered that Russian painter Oscar Rabin lived next-door. After gathering more than 30 hours of interview footage, he invited Evegeniy Tsymbal to join the project which eventually was completed in summer 2015. It has since received positive reviews from critics and was awarded Best Documentary at various international film festivals.
Awards and nominations Year Award Location Category Result20153rd Indian Cine Film Festival-15Mumbai, IndiaBest DocumentaryNominatedPortsmouth International Film FestivalPortsmouth, UKBest DocumentaryWonSouthampton International Film FestivalSouthampton, UKBest EditingWonRussia Abroad International Film FestivalMoscow, RussiaCinema Academy AwardWonThe International Human Rights Film Festival “STALKER”Moscow, RussiaBest DocumentaryWon2016Berlin Independent Film FestivalBerlin, GermanyBest DocumentaryWon«Nika» AwardMoscow, RussiaBest DocumentaryWonParis Independent Film FestivalParis, FranceBest DocumentaryWon
References
External links Trailer "In Search of a Lost Paradise" Soms-Films.com — Official Website Facebook — Facebook page Interview with producer Alexander Smoljanski (in Russian) Radio interview with producer Alexander Smoljanski (in Russian)