"Our film is first and foremost about human relationships": the producer Tatiana Yakovenko about the film The Father

The director Pavel Ivanov, the producer Tatiana Yakovenko, the cinematographer Nikita Rozhdestvensky and the actors Alina Dulova and Egor Abramov presented the film The Father, which is part of the Main Competition of the 48th Moscow International Film Festival.

The film is set during the Great Patriotic War. The main character, a Siberian hunter named Gavriil Sobinov, volunteers for the front having learned that his son, Semyon, a young lieutenant, has gone missing in action. Gavriil wants to crush the enemy and find his son, but instead of the front lines, he ends up in a support platoon. Thanks to his heroic actions in his very first battle, and after a training at a sniper school, he reaches the front lines. Gavriil is appointed leader of a sniper squad. He continues to look for his son. The story Werner Julenborg, a German sniper, develops at the same time; he also ends up on the front lines, with his son Dietrich fighting alongside him. A fight between the sniper fathers, whom fate keeps bringing together, is inevitable…

Pavel Ivanov: "Of course, the central theme is that of parents, fathers and children; however, we also wanted to make the land itself a key character in the story: how it stands the war and how people survive on this land. What must a father do for his children – offer guidance, show direction, and even sacrifice himself, rushing into the very heart of the war to save his child and offer advice, raising the children who are by his side. Inside each of the characters, the power of patriotism awakens. The children grow up as they face the war, and the father helps them begin this adult life".

Tatiana Yakovenko: "Our film is about ordinary people who, in fulfilling their duty, went to defend their homeland and became war heroes, but first and foremost, our film is about human relationships. War films have always taken a special place in my heart. One of my favorite films is Rezo Chkheidze’s Father of a Soldier. And we really wanted to portray not a young sniper, but an adult one specifically. Our film is not biographical, but my co-authors and I studied the craft of sniping".

Nikita Rozhdestvensky: "This is by no means my first war film. Back when I was offered to make The Father, I refused to make war films. But when I came across my hands on this script, I realized there was an important human story there".

Alina Dulova: "The most important thing is that when you work on films like this, you start a dialogue with yourself; something amazing happens inside you. This allows you to shed the unnecessary and face important things you weren't prepared for. It was tough for us physically: we were filming in the fall, getting up at three in the morning, and there were a lot of outdoor scenes, but every single moment changed me. For me personally, The Father is a story about light and overcoming obstacles, and I believe that films like this help people of today's generation see each other better".

Egor Abramov: "Over time, it will become much harder to tell the younger generation about the history of the Great Patriotic War. Once the anniversary passes the 100-year mark, it will be impossible to explain it. That is why films like The Father are essential. When I was young, I didn’t understand what war was about; I only heard my grandparents say that they hoped nothing like that would ever happen again. As I got older, I watched many films about the Great Patriotic War, studied history, and realized how terrible and frightening it was. The most important thing is to explain to children what a tragic event this was in our history".