SHORT GRAND PRIX COMPETITION

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

MY HUSBAND ANDREI SAKHAROV

Latvia/France, 2006, 52 min., Russian

Director: Inara Kolmane
Producer: Imans Mozers, Janis Juhnevics
Script: Inara Kolmane
Cinematography: Aivars Kalnins
Editing: Katya Chelli
Music: Alexei Aigui
Sound: Olivier Lafuma
Production company: DEVINI Film Studio
Print Source:
DEVINI Film Studio
Ludzas 24, Pob 69,
LV -1003, Riga,
Latvia,
Tel.: +371 7241688
Fax: +371 7241434
e-mail: devini@parks.lv


My Husband Andrei Sakharov

How does an elite Russian physicist, the father of the hydrogen bomb and the most prized mind of the Soviet Union become an outspoken advocate for human rights, winner of the 1975 Nobel Peace Prize and enemy of the Soviet regime? In this revealing film, Andrei Sakharov’s journey from renowned pro-Soviet scientist to vocal anti-Soviet activist is chronicled through the eyes of his adoring widow, Yelena Bonner, who after their clandestine marriage, was exiled with Sakharov and endured invasive treatment by the KGB alongside her lionized husband. Along with other family friends and relatives, Bonner candidly speaks about the impact of her husband’s time in exile, his work and his quest to free Soviet prisoners of conscience. The former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, also weighs in on Sakharov’s transformation from the brains behind the Soviet regime’s most destructive weapon to vocal enemy of the system. Their indirect debate concerning the national figure’s professional and personal life gives way to a timely and resounding comment on the responsibility of power and the guarantees of human freedom.

Inara Kolmane is a graduate of the St. Petersburg Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinema, Faculty of TV Directing (1994). From 1988 to 1991 she was senior manager and producer in Riga Video Center. In 1991 she co-founded Devini, a film production company. Inara is a member of the European film Academy and the European Documentary Network.

Filmography (selected):

Mona (2006), fiction;
My Husband Andrei Sakharov (2006);
Going Into Dark (2003);
A World Apart (2002);
Poco & Poco (2001);
Frosty Flowers (2001), short fiction;
Latvian Legion (2000);
The Heavy Baltic March (2001).

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