Farewell to fireplace
Silent film with live music performance, 19 min, 2013

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Director: Petr Laden

Script: Vladimir Mayakovsky, Petr Laden

Director of photography: Nikita Pavlov

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The movie is based on Vladimir Mayakovsky’s script that was never filmed. The protagonist is a young Moscow leftist artist leading a bohemian life. He doesn`t notice the love of a labor union activist and dies at feminist exhibition afterparty of an overdose. After 20 years, in a new perfect world of equality (of labor, nation, gender, species, etc.), he is resurrected in the Institute of Human. They meet with the activist who is still loving and is about to help. But is there a place and deed for him in a new world? If only in a museum!
The film is silent and supposed to be accompanied by a live musician improvisation.
Film discovers development of russian utopic ideas (revolution and russian cosmism) and their possible application to modern perception of labor and gender identification. As well, in ironic way it takes a look on contemporary russian critical art and thinkers.