After his debut film Corrections Class took the East of the West Award at the 49th KVIFF, the young Russian director Ivan I. Tverdovskiy has returned to Karlovy Vary with Zoology, a film with a fantastic motif.
Tverdovskiy once again played a double role as director/screenwriter, a role which clearly suited him. The film unfolded in an interesting way. "We originally planned to make the film as a sort of light comedy with a tail for a fantastic motif, but it became progressively heavier, taking on a social and tragic emphasis. This transformation travelled a long road that wasn't always easy."
According to the lead actress, Natalia Pavlenkova, the film deals chiefly with love and tolerance: "We must bear in mind that there are people living among us who are different, but we should not judge them. All the same, if any other director were to offer me a part in such a story, I would immediately refuse. But I trust Vanya entirely; he is talented," Pavlenkova, who is primarily a theatre actress, commented on her rendition of the non-traditional part of a woman who grows a tail.
Immediately upon his return from Karlovy Vary Tverdovskiy will devote himself to work on another project. "Concurrently with Zoology we made a documentary film about the Russian police. We now have 400 hours' worth of footage. Hopefully, professional discussions here in Karlovy Vary will give us some more inspiration, and we will get down to editing when we return."
Producer Natalia Mokritskaya and producer and distributor Guillaume De Seille spoke about the future of Zoology: "Considering the fact that the film is quite radical, it won't be easy to get it to the cinemas. But we have a contract with Arthouse, and it will go to 150 cinemas. Zoology had its world premiere 14 days ago in Sochi, taking two awards (the Best Actress Award and the Critics' Award). We hope that KVIFF will help get it into the limelight a bit more."
