2017 DOK.fest München im Internationalen Wettbewerb Filmkunstfest Mecklenburg - Vorpommern im Deutschen Wettbewerb 57. Film Festival Krakau
Synopsis
They sing about homesickness, love, war and forgiveness. The voices pertain to drug dealers, thefts or murderers jailed in one of the about thousand Russian prisons or penal camps. They all dream about becoming part of the song contest “Kalina Krasnaya“ (English: Red Elderberry). Each of the approximately 700,000 Russian prisoners has the opportunity to participate.
For Natalia Abashkina, director of the show and soul of the programme, working with the prisoners is a vocation. Tirelessly she travels through the country looking for talents and caring about her fosterlings. Stefan Eberlein accompanied her. His film provides insights into a paralell world. The life stories of the protagonists not only reveal personal fates but also reflect the social reality of a state still characterized by arbitrariness and brutality. A Tale of Singers and Murderers also demonstrates that even in the harsh reality of nowadays Russia it is possible to act deeply human and solidarily- and reveals the unique power music can unfold.
90 or 52 mins version with English or German subtitles available
In order for our website to function optimally, we use cookies for some of our applications. This includes i.a. the embedded social media, but also a tracking tool that provides us with information about the ergonomics of our website and user behavior. If you click on "Accept all cookies", you agree to the use of technically necessary cookies and those to optimize our website. See "Cookie Settings" for more information.
Control settings
Please select your preferences. You can change these at any time.
In order for our website to function optimally, we use cookies for some of our applications. These cannot be deactivated, otherwise you will not be able to use all applications.
In order to make our website as user-friendly as possible, we have i.a. social media embedded on our website. This allows you to share content with your loved ones on the appropriate network with just a few clicks. We also use anonymous tracking technology, which gives us information about e.g. the user behavior, but also the effectiveness and ergonomics of our website. For this purpose, we also use services that may be based outside the European Union (especially in the USA), where the level of data protection may be lower than in Germany.