Lead Film Editor

(2022)

BALABANOV. BELLTOWER.
REQUIEM / БАЛАБАНОВ. КОЛОКОЛЬНЯ. РЕКВИЕМ

(1H 55MIN)

dir. Lyubov Arkus

Nominated for the national film awards of the Russian Federation:

The winner of the «Nika» Award in nomination Best Non-Fiction Film.

It was broadcast on television, distributed in cinemas and streaming platforms.

Daring to face mortality:

A multifaceted portrait of a legendary director. On set, a perfectionist. At home, a devoted father and mercurial spouse. In illness — defiant yet vulnerable. A tormented artist, a man of faith wrestling with fatal yearning and ultimately, an enigma. This deeply personal narrative calls for both thoughtful analysis and gentle treatment.

It is a cinematic elegy.

“Work on this documentary began two years before the death of Alexei Balabanov as a chronicle of the production of his film «Me Too» (2012). Balabanov was not a public figure, he did not like to give interviews, did not allow intruders into personal space, and many today will be surprised by the distance from which the shooting was made — it is too close.

However, work on this film was carried out with the permission and direct participation of the main character. Filming continued after his death — even when the Bell Tower collapsed, which did not take the hero of his last film to Happiness. Almost ten years after Balabanov's death, this film is a tragic testament to the life and passing of an uncompromising author, a filmmaker who remains central to modern Russia today.”