The Beginning & The Test

Supporting Film: The Beginning

Directed by Vaqif Behbudov, Azerbaijan 1982, 19 min

Musical accompaniment: Friedwart Goebels (piano)

Based on the screenplay by Rustam Ibrahimbeyov, this animated film directed by Vaqif Behbudov is a philosophical narrative. The film, based on the motifs of Cain and Abel, is dedicated to the eternal struggle between good and evil: it portrays that all difficulties can be overcome and one can live in peace and friendship.

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Main film: The Test

Director: Alexander Kott, Russia 2014, 93 min.

Musical accompaniment: Jutta Glaser (vocals), Jochen Sattler (percussion), Friedwart Goebels (piano)

Young Kazakh Dinara knows nothing about the fact that a nuclear bomb will soon be tested in nearby Semipalatinsk, in the middle of Kazakhstan’s steppe. She lives a lonely life with her father, far away from the nearest town. When he leaves in the morning with his truck, she stays behind alone and is courted by two young, somewhat awkward men; in the evening she takes care of her tired father.

One day, a boy from Moscow appears outside the window of their modest hut. He immediately falls in love with the pretty girl and decides to fight against the fact that Dinara is already promised to someone else.

No one suspects how much their lives will change after the upcoming nuclear test.