- year : 2023
- country : Russia
- timing : 20:41'
- genre : fiction film
written by Arina Kuznetsova, Aglaya Schmidt
directed by Ilona Gaytian
produced by Yulia Zagorodnaya
DoPs Anton Avdeev, Alexey Venzos, Daria Likhacheva
music by Mikhail Dubovik
sound by Alexander Fedenev
editor Ilona Gaytian
production designer Evgenia Soboleva
cast: Oleg Savtsov, Alexander Samsonov, Evgenia Weiss, Anton Shurtsov, Alexander Guryev, Sergey Dvoynikov, Elena Medvedeva, Alexander Lyubimov
This is a story about two brother-magicians and a chicken named Mashka, who go to Moscow in search of fame. But the path to their dream is not easy, by any measure. The brothers have to go through dark forests, save malevolent thugs from insidious gypsies, and win their fame.
- Golden Plate Film Awards (2023, Russia, Kazan)
- Kinoles Open-air Short Film Festival (2023, Russia, St. Petersburg)
- Shukshin International Film Festival (2023, Russia, Strostki, Barnaul)
- KONIK Film Festival (2023, Russia, Moscow)
- Skepto International Film Festival (2023, Italy, Cagliari)
- WINDOW International short film festival (2023, Russia, Omsk)
- Youth Short Film Festival “Hazelnut”, Special Jury Prize for the Best Soundtrack (2024, Russia, Moscow)
Director’s statement
Natural-born winners is a small and light-hearted adventure, which is an original fantasy film about two brothers living in provincial Russia. They don't look like your average villager. Our protagonists are magicians, and they want to realize their talent. And since they remain white crows in their village, they decide to go to Moscow. Vova is in search of fame, and Tim is simply along for the ride, because he always repeats everything after Vova. On the way to the capital, a bus with villagers is attacked by gypsies. And only our heroes can save everyone with the help of their card tricks. And here one of the characters must realize their talent. In the fight against the gypsies, they succeed. Thus, the thugs on the bus, captured by the gypsies, are saved and recognize the power and art of the brothers. This is the first layer of the film, realized through the storyline.
The second layer is somewhat more significant. I was making a story about the continuation of life and the path we all must find. After all, despite the difficulties of the protagonist and the death of their beloved pet - the chicken Masha, the sun continues to shine, the heroes live, and chickens keep laying egg. And we are left with the memory of their adventures, which (as we understand from the scene inside the credits) have not yet ended. After the film, a certain aftertaste remains, which not only carries a poignant memory of the chicken Masha, but also gives a bright feeling that everything in life is still ahead.
By wrapping this idea in a specific cinematic language, as if in a shiny package, we bring in a whirlwind of characters and events, which develop into their own separate world. You immerse yourself in this world and do not notice how time flies. This ironic declaration of love is dedicated to everyone who wants to conquer Moscow, to the regional thugs and to the Russian provinces.
ABOUT THE FILM DIRECTOR:
Ilona Gaytian was born on 07.02.1991 in Sverdlovsk, Russia. In 2017 graduated from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography as a film director.
FILMOGRAPHY:
2023 - "Natural-born winners", short film
2022 - "Komi MI", documentary
2017 - "Lenin's Tears", short film
2016 - "Inmates", short student film
2015 - "Scary Fairy Tale", short film
