THE LAST ILLUSION

year : 2020
country : Russia
timing : 15:57'
genre : fiction film
producer : Vladimir Feklenko

written by Vladimir Feklenko
produced by Vladimir Feklenko, Ekaterina Semyonova
DoP Petr Dukhovskoy
music by Anton Silaev
sound by Oleg Schloss
editor Sona Aslanyan
production designer Olga Tsyba
cast: Stanislav Borodokin, Oleg Komarov, Fedor Dukhovskoy, Alexander Bobrov, Maria Safronova, Alexander Barinov, Elena Torshina, Alexander Kovalev, Dmitry Filimonov, Ekaterina Fedulova, Vladislav Gandrabura

Russia. 1910 year. Once-famous magician Arseny Vilsky lost his popularity and bears t miserable existence of a wandering circus artist. Gathering the remaining strengths, he prepares to his last performance...

All-Russian Film Festival of Actors-directors "Golden Phoenix" (2020, Russia, Smolensk)
International Film Festival "Lovers of art. Kinonasledie" (2020, Russia, St. Petersburg)
International Film Festival of Spiritual, Moral and Family Film "Saint Vladimir" (2020, Russia, Sevastopol)
AGM International Short Film Competition, Award Winner (2020, Turkey, Adana)
Madurai International Documentary and Short Film Festival (2020, India, Madurai)
International open youth festival of television programs and films "Telemania", 1st place in the nomination "Best Producer" - Vladimir Feklenko (2020, Russia, Moscow and St. Petersburg)
Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival, Finalist (2021, Italy, Venice)
Moscow International Film Festival (2021, Russia, Moscow)
International Film and Video Festival «Catharsis» (2021, Russia, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Penza, Vladimir, Novosibirsk, Pskov, Vladivostok)
International Festival of Student Films and Creative Photography "Golden Five" (2021, Russia, Khimki)
SorsiCorti International Short Film Festival (2021, Italy, Palermo)
International Short Film Festival "The Unprecedented Cinema" (2021, Estonia, Maardu, Tallinn)
Deep Fried Film Festival (2021, UK, Cotebridge)
KONIK Film Festival (2021, Russia, Moscow)
FERFILM International Film Festival (2021, Kosovo, Uroševac)
Fano International Film Festival, Special Mention (2021, Italy, Fano)
Gorodets Film Festival named after St. Alexandr Nevsky, Best Director (2021, Russia, Gorodets)
Minsk International Film Festival "Listapad" (2021, Belarus, Minsk)
Festival of Social Advertising in Defense of Life and Family «Ladoshka» (2021, Belarus, Minsk)
Northern Character: green screen International Festival of Environmental and Social Films, Special Diploma (2022, Russia, Murmansk)
Festival of Student Film (2022, Serbia, Belgrade)

Director’s statement

I came up with the idea of the movie after reading N. Taffy's story, "The Dexterity of Hands." In this story, a lonely unsuccessful magician, suffering from hunger and lack of money as a result of unsuccessful performances in provincial towns of the Russian Empire, barely makes ends meet. He is haunted by the incessant rain with the inevitability of the rock of the ancient Greek tragedy. He comes out on stage again, and the "dexterity" of his hands fails him. He pleads with the audience, and the spectators, at first, hear his prayers and forgive him, but then come back to "give him a sock", feeling offended for the failed performance.

This drama twist proved to be decisive for me in choosing this story as the basis for the script for my film. I wondered whose side the viewer would take, having fully recognized the main character.

On the one hand, the visitors of the show saw primitive and unsuccessful tricks, but on the other, they also had the real show, the sincere repentance of the man standing on the stage saying that his career is over and he no longer has the ability to do his job properly because he is old, lonely, and can do nothing else... Should we feel sorry for him, to see that this man is worthy of our compassion? Or is it unacceptable for us, the spectators, that for our hard-earned money, we were not given what we expected.

ABOUT THE FILM DIRECTOR:

Vladimir Feklenko was born on 02.12.1985 in Moscow, Russia. In 2005 graduated from The Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute as an actor. The actor of theatre and cinema, with over 50 acting work, the most famous of which is the series "Capercaillie", "Game", "Univer. New Dorm", "The Best summer of our lives", "Courage". At the moment he is a student of Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors (VKSR) as a film director.

FILMOGRAPHY:

2020 - "The Last illusion", short student film / diploma
2019 - "The Clown", short student film / debut