Durakovo: Village of Fools is a documentary that was shot in modern-day Russia, in the village next to Moscow. It is a true story of a geographic location that is ruled by an autocratic leader, and where people entering this gated community submit themselves completely to his absolute powers, toiling day and night for his benefit under heavy indoctrination.
Nino Kirtadze, who directed Durakovo: Village of Fools, received the 2008 Sundance Film Festival world documentary award. We recently had a chance to sit down with her and talk about the film, and Russia's future.
ET: Nino, please, tell us about the village Durakovo and your experience there.
NK: It's a strange place where you can feel what total power can do to a human being. Being there was quite strange for me because it reminded me of what my grandmother was telling me when I was a kid. She used to speak in a low voice, afraid that somebody might hear something that nobody should hear: her political views. It's there that I understood what the time of 1930s and Stalin's regime looked like. As a personal experience, it was quite unbelievable and quite unique in this sense.
ET: Durakovo is a documentary film. How real is everything in it to present-day Russia?
NK: Absolutely, absolutely real! It looks unbelievable, but it is true. And the whole experience was like this: You see it, and you don't want to believe it, but it is true. You have to accept it and then think, "Why is it like this, and what makes it work? And how far can people go with this fascination for a strong hand and a strong ruler." This is happening in Durakovo on a small scale, but it is also reflective of what is happening in the rest of the country. For me, it was really a metaphor of where Russian is heading today and what is happening with the people and what might happen as well.
ET: How did you find Durakovo and how did you come across the ruler of the village?
NK: I heard about him, and then I saw a small piece on Russian television about how great he was and how he was saving everybody from various sins because in his village there are people with different problems: drunks, those who cannot find their place in society, and some of them would never leave, they have been there since the place was founded 11 or 12 years ago; others would come and go. As the ruler himself said, it is a place where he shapes a new man for a new Russia. Some people would come to learn about the new proclaimed values of Russia and how to operate within them, and those are faith, fatherland, and the czar.
ET: Regarding the czar, could you spot any overt worshipping?
NK: I mean, they love their president! The ruler would not say a sentence without mentioning him, and he also imitates him in his own space. He thinks this is just perfect, and this is what Russia needs. His friends—politicians—would come, and they would say the same thing. You also hear this in church—everywhere—to the point when you have a weird feeling that it is the same story repeated over and over again.
For me, it's sad, because my grandfather was Russian, and I love Russia, I love Russian culture and I grew up with that. Seeing the bitterness about Russia's unfulfilled hopes turning into something really ugly in the future makes me really sad. Seeing to what this fantastic national character is being reduced, seeing how the orthodox values are being manipulated, makes me think, "How long will people support it? How great is their patience to go like this?"
ET: Please, tell us a little bit about the way you were treated in the village.
NK: It was an absolutely joyless shoot. For the first time for a month we sensed oppression, and uncertainty about what he would do next, what would happen, and how he would react to the way I was acting. It was very stressful and I felt very exhausted, and the crew as well. The deal was that he would kick me out as soon as I got on his nerves, did something wrong, or disturbed people with silly questions. The first day was representative—when he invited us for a cup of tea and asked me if I remembered how Trotsky died. Then he went on to tell the story and added that France is really not that far. My assistant was terrified the whole time.
ET: What is your hope for this film?
NK: I hope that people in Russia will be able to see it as well, and I wish them a better future—I think they deserve much better.
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