- Contact:
- Website
producer of 'Leviathan'
Ukrainian film director, film producer, television executive and businessman
PROFILE
Alexander Rodnyansky
Guest
FROM Alexander Rodnyansky
The Business
'Leviathan' Director Andrey Zvyagintsev and producer Alexander Rodnyansky tell us about navigating the tricky waters leading up to the Russian theatrical release of their Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning Russian film Leviathan . The drama about is about a man named Kolya, a small-town mechanic in a northern, seaside village where an unscrupulous mayor decides he wants the land occupied by Kolya's home for himself. Kolya decides to fight back but runs into a corrupt bureaucracy backed by the local orthodox priest. His efforts to combat the system lead to dire consequences for his entire family. While winning awards in the US and Europe, including Best Screenplay at Cannes last May, Leviathan has drawn the ire of Putin-friendly critics in Russia, even though it was partly funded by the state. The country's Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky has said that films like Leviathan, which are "critical of the current government...should not be funded by taxpayers." When Rodnyansky and Zvyagintsev went to release their film theatrically in Russia, they found themselves running up against new profanity laws, which ban any curse words in films shown in Russian movie theaters. A censored version of Leviathan, with the bad words muted, opened in Russia on February 5, 2015. But many Russians have already seen an uncensored version of the movie. It was leaked online in January, and has been downloaded more than two million times. Rodnyansky and Zvyagintsev tell us they were furious when they first learned about the leak, but the movie has generated such a response around Russia, they've gotten way more publicity than they ever anticipated. So much interest was generated after the leak, theater owners started approaching them, and while they had initially planned to only release the film on 300 screens, it'll now be showing on 650 screens in Russia. If Leviathan does win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Picture, the filmmakers aren't sure what the official reaction will be in Russia. When the film won a Golden Globe, the first time a Russian movie had done so since 1969, the award was almost completely ignored by Russian media. But Rodnyansky and Zvyagintsev aren't worried about that. They just hope their film continues to foster discussion and open dialogue, something they say a Russian film hasn't done in years.
Recommended
Design and Architecture
Securing Public Spaces, Super Wealthy Asians Vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons, as seen in the London Bridge attack over the weekend and in New York’s Times Square last month. The Compton-based company Calpipe is designing security bollards to help make public spaces safer. And novelist Kevin Kwan satirizes the “crazy rich” Asian jet set and their luxurious tastes in his latest book, “Rich People Problems.”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How do Trump supporters feel about the Paris Accord? Globally and around the U.S., there are strong opinions whether or not the Paris Climate Accord is a good idea. The American exit is either a horrifying abdication of American leadership or a forceful and long overdue statement about U.S. sovereignty.
The Business
Industry insights and lessons learned from memorable guests We have interesting guests on The Business, and sometimes our conversations are too long to fit into one show. This week we give you stories that were too good to leave on the cutting room floor, including some sharp insights on making it in the industry from David Mandel, David Simon, Shawn Levy and Matt Reeves.