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'Dear Comrades!' Director Andrei Konchalovsky Interview -- Contenders You will be redirected back to your article in seconds Skip to main content January 9, 2021 9:16am SERVICES TO
SHARE THIS PAGE. UPDATED WITH VIDEO: Andrei Konchalovsky’s acclaimed historical drama _Dear Comrades!_ is inspired by the true story of a state-sponsored massacre in the Russian city of
Novocherkassk in the early 1960s. We follow the story through the personal experience one of the city’s Communist Party officials whose views go through a transformation as the massacre
impacts her own family. That official is played in the movie by Konchalovsky’s partner and longtime collaborator Yuliya Visotskaya. Speaking during the film’s panel at Deadline’s Contenders
International awards-season event, veteran filmmaker Konchalovsy tells us how the Soviet state censored Russians from discussing the massacre. “It was a complete blackout and banned for 30
years,” he says. “Every citizen of Novocherkassk had to sign an affidavit saying they wouldn’t speak about it or risk the death penalty.” Shot in beautiful monochrome, the director says that
authenticity is his motivation at every turn: “My objective is usually to try and capture the absolute authentic feelings of the characters, to try to snatch this event as a piece of real
life,” he says. “As a director I want to create action but also to make this a type of documentary.” _Parasite_ distributor Neon snapped the film up for U.S. distribution after its debut at
the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize. It is now Russia’s submission to this year’s International Feature Oscar race. Check out the panel video above. Comments
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