...Quand on a rien a dire d'intéressant...on se tait.

Bettina Reims & A.T.

on the premiere of his film "Rose c'est Paris"

in the BNF, Paris 2010

Karen Shakhnazarov & A.T.

at the opening of the Russian Film Festival "Vesna",

cinema Lincoln, Paris 2010

"VESNA"

IVeme EDITION

FESTIVAL DU CINEMA RUSSE

special guest

Karen Shakhnazarov

A Russian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter.

The General Director of the Mosfilm studios.

"Ward No.6"- the last film of Karen Shakhnazarov will open the festival "VESNA"

The film is a screen version of the mysterious paradoxical and disturbing story by Chekhov, which can be in all justice called the most pessimistic and also the most life-asserting work of the author.

The story is based on a real life incident and centers around the head doctor of an asylum who winds up as the asylum patient. Lonely, estranged, reflecting Doctor Andrey Ragin is one of the focal characters in the work of Chekhov and the entire world literature of the 20th century.

The screenplay is an adaptation of Chekhov’s story. Preserving the story-line the authors deliberately move the scene into the present.

Shooting of the film was done in a real asylum, in a novel semi-documentary manner.

• The screenplay of “Ward No. 6” was written in 1988 by Karen Shakhnazarov and Alexander Borodyansky, but the project was stopped due to difference of opinions with the Italian producers.
• Marcello Mastroianni was to act Andrey Ragin.
• The main scenes of the film were shot in the functioning mental home located in ancient Nikolo-Poshehonsky monastery in the vicinity of Moscow.
• The film was shot in record time: from the November 5th to the December 2nd, 2008.

The film is the Russia's official entry for The Best Foreign Language Film of The American Academy 'Oscar' Awards.

Alexander Gornovsky has made the film “Dominoes and Checkers Competition” on the basis of the episodes which were not included in the movie. The film participates in Raindance Film Festival in Great Britain.

Karen Shakhnazarov has been awarded in the `Best film director' nomination at the National Golden Eagle Award 2010.

Awards "Best film" and "Best Actor" (Vladimir Ilyin) in the international section at the 28th Fajr International Film Festival (Iran, Teheran).