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Approaching "tomorrow"

Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova, Head of the ILSIR HSE, research fellows and other colleagues of HSE share their impressions about participating in the international film festival "Cinema Without Barriers".

Approaching "tomorrow"

HSE ILSIR helped organize and conduct master classes with directors at the international film festival "Cinema without Barriers" in 2022. 

The fellows of the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research (ILSIR) recall participating in the eleventh International film Festival about the life of people with disabilities "Cinema without Barriers", which took place on November 18-21 at the cinema "Formula Cinema CDM", in Moscow. Festival is organized by Perspektiva, led by Denis Roza

Head of the laboratory, Professor Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova shared her opinion about the participation of the HSE ILSIR in the Cinema Without Barriers Film Festival: "For us as researchers, this event was necessary. We try to go outside the academic field as often as possible. There we can get a little closer to people whose experiences, feelings and thoughts we strive to understand. At this film festival, we received a lot of emotions and insights both from watching films and communicating with directors, the public, organizers, volunteers. We also shared our impressions. Such movies give hope and inspire!". 

Our colleagues also shared their impressions of participating in the moderation of discussions and master classes with foreign film directors, as well as assistance in conducting master classes. 

On November 19th, the trainee research fellows of the HSE ILSIR Ekaterina Dolgova and Maria Ivanova moderated a master class and discussion with the director from Argentine - Luciano Giardino, an author of the documentary film "Joaquín My Cousin" (2021). The film tells about the life of 12-year–old Joaquin with Down syndrome, the director's cousin. ILSIR employees became facilitators of the director's communication with the audience after watching the film, the discussion was assisted by a Spanish translator, a Russian sign language translator and a typhoon commentator. 

Ekaterina and Maria remembered this day by overcoming language barriers, the shared feelings of empathy and the universal inclusion of the audience in the world of the hero of the picture - Joaquin: "The participants of the master class sincerely responded to the touching story of the creation of the film, the process of work on which began in 2018, so the audience asked questions about Joaquin's current life, his hobbies and interests. Luciano shared that he plans to make a sequel to the film, which would tell about an adult Joaquin, to which the festival guests reacted enthusiastically". 

On November 20th, Senior Researcher Nikita Bolshakov also helped in organizing and conducting moderated a master class and discussions with the Japanese director of the director of the film "Only I Can Hear" Itaru Matsui. The film "Only I Can Hear" is dedicated to teenagers with a coda – hearing children of deaf parents who find themselves "between two worlds" – the deaf world of their family and the hearing world around them. 

Nikita Bolshakov noted the important role for society and its humanization of the creation and holding of international public events aimed at the first acquaintance or deeper immersion in the world of people with disabilities and people associated with their lives: "The festival is very strong, the films are wonderful! Thanks to the Festival and the Perspective, the audience has the opportunity to see films on the big screen, the heroes of which are people with disabilities or their like-minded people". 

Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova and trainee research fellow Natalia Baisha helped organize and moderated an online master class by British director Ray Jacobs, author of the short film "The Secret Life of Astrid North" about a girl who is forced to live in the country "Today", although in fact she is the queen of the country "Tomorrow". 

Natalia, thanks to the HSE ILSIR, participated for the first time in conducting master classes on an international scale. She recalls both her sincere admiration for the results of the work of the director and the cast, and the feeling of collective emotional experience. "Thanks to the talent of the director, engaged public, the well-coordinated work of the organizers, interpreters and caring volunteers, we managed to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding and openness to dialogue, to discuss topics devoted to the daily life of neuro-diverse actors, people with great willpower, independence, imbued with friendliness and a sincere desire to develop in a complex world full of madness, obstacles and, of course, opportunities". 

In one of the coffee-breaks, Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova asked the head of the Film Festival, Denis Roza, whether it would be interesting to hold a "cinema-socio-fest" next year. "Why not, let’s think about it," Denis replied. 

Our colleague is the head of the department "Events, international activities" of the Directorate of the Head Office of the Human Capital Multidisciplinary Research Center, Advisor to the Vice–Rector of the HSE Olga Voron also shared her experience of participating in the festival as a moderator. She facilitated a master class with the French director Helena Malak, who presented her documentary "At Night I Walk" at the festival. ": "At the master class Helena Malak enthusiastically talked about working on the film, the main character and her dreams. The work on the film took three years, is it a lot or a little? It took exactly that long to get to know the heart and soul, aspirations and hopes, to acquire a true friend. "The audience, including me, watched the movie "I walk at Night" with their hearts," recalls Olga Voron. 

It is important that not only the public in the cinema and the organizers, but also film directors – all participants of the event have been sharing their emotions, personal and professional insights. The director of the film "The Secret Life of Astrid North" Ray Jacobs, after listening to the responses of the audience, said: "I am learning so much from you about my film! This is the meaning of cinema - there is nothing unambiguous here. Everyone sees something different here". 

"Thanks to the festival, - Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova says, - together with the queen of the fairyland from the Jacobs film and other bright heroes of the festival, we all have become one step closer to our "Tomorrow". 

The author of the text: Lychkina Albina Vitalievna, November 25, 2022