Preparatory work for the filming of an art film about Chagall and Malevich has begun in Vitebsk

June 9, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Preparatory work for the filming of a feature film about Marc Chagall and Kazimir Malevich has begun in Vitebsk. This was announced in an exclusive interview with a BELTA correspondent by the film's director, People's Artist of the Russian Federation Alexander Mitta. He took part in the opening of the XXII International Chagall Readings. The full-length film is titled "Miracle about Chagall," but it also has a second title, which, according to the interlocutor, more fully reflects the idea - "Commissar Chagall and Citizen Malevich," as the film will tell about two geniuses who, by the will of fate, found themselves in Vitebsk in 1918-1921, about their difficult relationship, about Malevich's struggle for young minds. There will also be a melodramatic line: Marc and his wife Bella. "However, the main driving force of the film will be two artists who, with their work, influenced all modern world art and opened new horizons for it," emphasized Alexander Mitta. By the way, the director has already turned to Chagall's personality. In 1969, his film "Burn, Burn, My Star" was released, where the image of a village artist, brilliantly played by Oleg Efremov, was based on Marc Chagall, whose work Alexander Mitta has long admired. At the same time, the film does not claim to be a philosophical and instructive one. The authors do not intend to search for the sources of inspiration with art historical accuracy and compare the influence of certain historical events on the artists' work. "There will be a certain amount of fiction in the film, but we hope to attract the attention of the general public to these outstanding personalities," added Alexander Mitta. The script and idea of the film have received the approval of the Paris Committee of Chagall. When writing the script, the director used the research by Valery Shishanov, Deputy Director of the Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore, "Vitebsk Museum of Modern Art: History of Creation and Collections." Vitebsk museums helped him in his work: the Marc Chagall Museum and the Center for Modern Art. According to the terms of the contract with the production company, the director could not name the actors approved for the main roles, but assured that they are famous Russian actors beloved by the audience. The filming of the film will take place in St. Petersburg and Vitebsk. As the director admitted, he did not expect to find locations in Vitebsk, which was almost completely destroyed to the ground during the Great Patriotic War. However, the desire to show the spirit of Vitebsk, the city where Chagall was born and lived, in the film was very strong. The film crew managed to find the necessary locations, and preparatory work is currently underway here – decorations are being made. Vitebsk artists are involved in the work. It is planned that filming will begin in Vitebsk at the end of July. The entire filming process will be completed by September. Alexander Mitta remained silent about the premiere date, citing that filming is only a small part of film production. Alexander Mitta hopes that his film about Chagall and Malevich will not only help promote art but also attract even more attention to Vitebsk, where these geniuses worked. -0-