Golden Apricot 2019

Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov’s The Man Who Surprised Everyone (Tchelovek Kotorij Udivil Vseh, 2018)

Vol. 98 (October 2019) by Anastasia Eleftheriou
In their second feature, Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov approach issues surrounding gender politics and sexual norms through a local folk-tale.

Juris Kursietis’ Oleg (Oļeg, 2019)

Vol. 97 (September 2019) by Anastasia Eleftheriou
Is our culture of awareness conducive to our forgetting where the problems lie?

Maria Saakyan’s Entropy (Entropiya, 2012)

Vol. 97 (September 2019) by Vadim Dumesh
In 2012, Maria Saakyan made a 180°-turn by leaving behind arthouse aesthetics in her popculture-induced and highly referential vision of apocalypse.

Maria Saakyan’s I’m Going to Change My Name (Alaverdi, 2013)

Vol. 97 (September 2019) by Antonis Lagarias
Maria Saakyan zeroes in on conveying a sense of subjectivity in her playful coming-of-age story.

Maria Saakyan’s The Lighthouse (Mayak, 2006)

Vol. 97 (September 2019) by Melina Tzamtzi
Melina Tzamtzi revisits the dreamlike poetry of Maria Saakyan's debut feature.

Kantemir Balagov’s Beanpole (2019)

Vol. 95 (May 2019) by Anastasia Eleftheriou
In steering clear from depicting graphic violence in a WWII drama, Russian director Kantemir Balagov keeps his promise to his mentor Alexander Sokurov - almost.

Teona Strugar Mitevska’s God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya (Gospod postoi, imeto i’ e Petrunija, 2019)

Vol. 93 (March 2019) by Zoe Aiano
A woman's spontaneous participation and triumph in an all-male Epiphany event spells trouble.