Pavel Filonov in the memoirs of his contemporaries (1987)

Broken bricks, rusty wire, dandelions growing among construction waste.

Photo portrait of the artist Pavel Filonov.

The entrance of an old Moscow mansion in winter.

The doors of the entrance.

A horse in the entrance near the elevator.

The hands of a knitting woman.

The grate of the elevator shaft while the elevator is moving.

Artists and sculptors talk about Filonov’s appearance, character, and life (live and off-screen), paintings created by the artists.

The grate of the shaft of the rising elevator.

A dark corridor in a communal apartment.

Portraits on the walls of the room of an artist who was Filonov’s student, an interview with the artist about Filonov and his creative methods (live and off-screen).

An interview with collector Lev Katsnelson about meeting Filonov (live and on-screen).

Katsnelson’s hands sorting through shells.

Netsuke figurines in Katsnelson’s apartment.

Thematic albums on the shelves of the bookcase.

The collector shows a selection of photographs and reproductions.

A woman poses for a street artist on one of the streets of Leningrad, faces of spectators.

Street artists paint portraits and caricatures from life.

A woman posing for an artist.

An interview with the writer and poet Igor Bakhterev about the work of Filonov and the "Oberiuts" (synchronously and behind the scenes), stuffed birds on a branch.

A view of residential buildings from a window.

A windowsill in the artist’s apartment, reproductions on a table by the window, a room interior, a woman with a small child by the window (panorama).

One of the works by the artist T. N. Glebova, an interview with T. N. Glebova about the artist’s calling (synchronously and behind the scenes).

Glebova’s works.

The artist comes out on stage.

The grate of a moving elevator shaft.

Busts on the shelves in a sculptor’s studio, made in the antique style (panorama).

An interview with the artist N. M. Kovalenko, a student of Filonov, about Filonov’s creative style and about studying with the master (synchronously and behind the scenes).

Sculpture students in the studio during a break.

An interview with the artist, a student of Filonov (synchronously and behind the scenes).

The interior of the artist’s studio, brushes and paints lying on the table (panorama).

A panorama of the studio, paintings on the walls.

An interview with the artist Kovalenko (synchronously).

One of Filonov's artist students arranges paintings in his studio.

An interview with the artist (synchronously and off-screen).

The interior of the studio, the artist's reflection in the mirror.

The grating of an elevator shaft, a view of the flights of stairs through the grating.

Pilots in the cockpit.

The interior of the elevator shaft.

An interview with the writer I.V. Bakhterev (synchronously).

A snow woman explodes in the yard.

Workers on the bank of a canal repair a cable, a diver descends underwater.

An interview with the artist about Filonov's relationship with his students (synchronously and off-screen).

Photograph by artist E.A. Kibrik.

Photograph of Filonov in the 1930s.

Fragments of one of Filonov's paintings.

Corridor and landing in one of the old Leningrad houses, stairs leading to the exit from the entrance, welder at work.

Kibrik's illustrations for one of R. Rolland's works.

Photograph by Kibrik.

Interview with the artist about Filonov (synchronously).

Illustrations on the pages of an academic textbook on drawing.

Interview with one of the artists about the life and work of Filonov (synchronously).

Circular panorama of the walls of a Leningrad courtyard-well.

A carpenter carries a box of tools past sculptures on the outskirts of the Academy of Arts.

Newsreel from the 1920s: The painting "Danae" in the Hermitage.

Visitors from Central Asia in one of the halls of the Hermitage.

Visitors in the halls of Leningrad museums and palaces.

Faces of visitors.

A carpenter hammers nails, knocks together a box from planks.

Fragments of the text of a letter from the administration of the Russian Museum to Filonov.

The interior of an abandoned Orthodox church.

Rooms in a communal apartment.

A woman washes dishes in the kitchen.

Two artists who were Filonov’s students sit at a table and reminisce about him (synchronously and off-screen), looking at old letters and photographs.

Fragments of paintings, portraits.

Medicines on the table.

The artists listen to an audio recording of an interview about Filonov and Russian avant-garde art, the interiors of the apartment, paintings on the walls and chairs, and memories of Filonov are heard off-screen.

An interview with the artist about Filonov (synchronously).

The artist closes the door of the communal kitchen at the end of the interview.

Newsreel from the 1920s: children stand by a lamppost on a city street in the summer, the children’s faces.

Panorama of the hall of an auction selling paintings.

The auctioneer announces the sale of another painting.

Faces of the auction participants.

View of the stairwells from the elevator cabin.

Mountain landscape (panorama), chairs at the foot of the hill.

A horse gallops in a circle in winter.

An interview with the artist and Filonov with a critique of the artist's assessment by the writer Daniil Granin (synchronously).

A panorama of a children's playground in one of the Leningrad courtyards.

An interview with the artist about Filonov's painting "The Carpenter's Family", about Filonov's fate as an artist, his character (synchronously).

A horse in a paddock.

Filonov's student walking away into the distance.

A boiling kettle on the stove.

The second hand of a clock.

An interview with the artist Tatyana Glebova about imitating Filonov and the artist's individuality and the development of an independent creative style in painting, about Russian avant-garde (synchronously).

The artist's hand.

Glebova's face.

A photo portrait of Filonov.

A portrait of Filonov painted by Glebova, with her interview playing in the background.

Glebova in her studio.

Portrait of Filonov painted by Glebova, continuation of Glebova's interview (synchronously and off-screen).

Glebova's hands.

Interior of Glebova's studio.

Drawing supplies, pencils and brushes.

Glebova working on a drawing, Glebova's face.

Performance of artists of the Japanese Kabuki theater, Glebova's interview is played off-screen.

Glebova puts reproductions of Filonov's paintings in a box, sketches of Filonov's and Glebova's drawings.

Glebova winds up a grandfather clock.

Interview with writer Bakhterev I.V. (synchronously).

Interior view of the well-yard (top down), a horse and children in the yard.

Collector Katsnelson stands by the window, a magnifying glass and a wristwatch are on the table.

Interior of a study in a zoological museum, stuffed birds and skeletons, roach and boiled potatoes on a newspaper (panorama).

A panoramic view of the Academy of Arts building in Leningrad.

Bas-reliefs above one of the entrances to the Academy building.

An interview with an artist, one of Filonov's students, about studying with Filonov and his teaching and creative methods (synchronously), the artist's face and hands.

A kerosene lantern on the sand, a beetle crawls past the lantern on the sand.

Artists paint portraits of Karl Marx and V.I. Lenin from photographs.

An interview with one of Filonov's students, sitting under the portraits of Marx and Lenin, about his creative destiny (synchronously).

The grate of a shaft during an elevator rise in one of the old houses in Leningrad.

A wooden door opens, a view of the seashore, a ship's hull on the sand.

The cover of Filonov's book "Sermon on the Sprouts of the World".

An interview with one of Filonov's students about the book (synchronously), the artist silently reads the book.

Photograph of the wreckage of a wooden ship on a sandy shore.

Panorama of a part of the seashore, wreckage of wooden ships, Stalinets tractors, rusty barrels on the sand.

A human skull covered in sand.

Wooden wreckage on the sand, panorama of grave crosses.

Steppe landscape.

Newsreel: military actions on the fronts of World War I, attacking infantry, dead soldiers falling.

Photographs of Filonov in 1917-1918. Fragment of the text of the protocol on the election of Filonov as chairman of the revolutionary committee.

Newsreel of the revolutionary events of 1917, alternates with fragments of feature films.

Exhibits and paintings on the walls of the halls of one of the first exhibitions of proletarian art.

People's Commissar of Education of the RSFSR A.V. Lunacharsky among visitors to the exhibition.

Faces of listeners in the hall during the art critic's lecture about Filonov.

The art critic, standing in front of the microphone on the stage, speaks about his attitude to Filonov.

An interview with one of Filonov's students (synchronously).

A photograph of Filonov among artists in the 1910s.

Interviews with artists about Filonov (synchronously and behind the scenes).

One of the artists enters an exhibition of his works.

The artist's face, a panorama of one of the exhibition halls.

Staging: blind men walking through the snow, holding on to the shoulder of the person in front of them, followed by a drummer (top).

A tea set on the table, a mirror in an antique frame, a reflection in the mirror of a portrait by Filonov.

An interview with the artist about Filonov (synchronously and off-screen).

The face of collector Lev Katsnelson.

A horse in a living room.

A ball of thread, a woman knitting.

A view of flights of stairs from the cabin of an ascending elevator.

An interview with one of the artists about Filonov (synchronously).

Newsreel from 1937: an airplane’s propellers turning.

An airplane taking off.

The faces of people watching the flight.

The interior of an elevator shaft (bottom up).

Transformation of a classical image of the Madonna and Child into an image in the style of Picasso (combined shooting).

A photo portrait of Picasso.

Artist Nikolai Sazhin in his studio, paintings on the walls, interior of the studio (panorama), Sazhin's interview is heard off-screen.

Sazhin gives an interview (synchronously and off-screen).

Actors in makeup play an allegorical scene off-stage, a view of a brick factory chimney.

Faces of the actors playing the scene.

Interiors of a room in the apartment of the writer I.V. Bakhterev, a dog on the sofa (panorama), Bakhterev talks about Filonov and his work (synchronously and off-screen).

An art critic, standing on stage in front of a microphone, answers a question about his attitude to Filonov and the artists of the 1920s (synchronously and off-screen).

View of flights of stairs through the grating of a rising elevator shaft.

Photo portrait of Velimir Khlebnikov.

A man climbs the stairs to the door of an apartment.

A man opens a padlock and enters the apartment.

Parachutists jumping out of an airplane.

Canopies of parachutes in the sky.

The artist plays the balalaika.

Scraps of photographs and drawings on snow-covered steps of a staircase in one of the evacuated Leningrad houses, view of the courtyard from the window on the landing (above).

Fragment of the manuscript of Filonov's article.

View of flights of stairs through the grating of the shaft of an ascending elevator and light bulbs burning in the darkness.

Newsreel from 1941: a Red Army soldier in a sheepskin coat.

Faces of residents of besieged Leningrad standing in line.

An interview with Filonov's sister about the last meeting with her brother (synchronously), alternates with footage of besieged Leningrad in the winter of 1941. Faces of people on the streets of besieged Leningrad, a mother feeding a child with a spoon.

Artists recall and talk about Filonov's life during the siege, his death during the siege in December 1941 and the death of his wife (synchronously), faces of artists.

Newsreel: dividing bread into rations during the siege of Leningrad.

People on a street in besieged Leningrad.

Medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" and the face of Filonov's student, artist Kovalenko.

Kovalenko's painting in the avant-garde style.

Photograph of Filonov and his wife E.A. Serebryakova in 1928. Interview with collector L. Katsnelson about Filonov (synchronously).

Interview with artist N.A. Sazhin about Filonov (synchronously and behind the scenes).

Photograph of Filonov during his gymnasium years.

Interviews with artist students of Filonov about his work, about the painting "Feast of Kings" (synchronously), faces of the artists.

Kovalenko N.M. talks about Filonov's work (synchronously).

Writer Bakhterev talks about the portrait of Lenin created by Filonov (synchronously).

Interiors of the artist Glebova's studio, Glebova talks about Filonov's work (synchronously), alternates with interviews with artists and landscapes.

View through the grating of the shaft of the rising elevator.

View of the elevator shaft (from bottom to top), the ceiling of the shaft.

Filonov's painting "The Feast of Kings", fragments of the painting, faces depicted in the painting.

Photo portrait of Filonov.

Filonov's painting "The Holy Family", fragments of the painting.

Photo portrait of Filonov.

Fragments of Filonov's painting "Formula of Spring".