Konstantin & Mouse

In 1972 a collection of Russian poetry by five young St. Petersburg poets was published in New York . The book was called The Living Mirror. Two of the young poets – Konstantin Kuzminsky and Josef Brodsky soon immigrated to the United States .

Josef Brodsky became famous, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987 and died of heart attack nine years later.
Such a fulfilled destiny has eluded Konstantin, so far. L'Enfant terrible of the Russian literati Konstantin K. Kuzminsky lives in a tiny upstate New York village, on the bank of the Delaware River in an old shanty house near a railway crossing. His freedom is complete. His devotion to art is absolute.
He lives with his books, his art collection, his cats and his poetry.

Festivals & Awards

Andrei Zagdansky retrospective
Odessa, Ukraine 2016
DocuDays, Andrei Zagdansky retrospective
Kiev, Ukraine 2014
XVIII Documentary Film Festival "Russia"
Yekaterinburg, Russia, 2007
Jury Award; Human Rights Film Festival
Moscow, Russia 2006
XXIX Moscow IFF
Moscow, Russia 2007
“Flahertiana” IDFF Perm
Perm, Russia 2006

Press/Blogs

An outsider in every respect, Kuzminsky grew up in St. Petersburg, developed his gift as a non-conformist poet, and was considered an outlaw by all official measures, part Russian Futurist, part Dadaist, part Bohemian. Zagdansky captures these aspects of Kuzminsky's poetry with the camera trained on his New York and Texas poetry readings (cum 'happenings') and his reflections on poets from Brodsky to Byron. Emma's evident partnership with and devotion to Kuzminksy is skillfully captured by Zagdansky throughout the film and is an emotional highlight of the documentary. Emma (endearingly called Mouse) is the pillar.

Alan Lamb (blog)

Credits

Conceived, directed and edited by
Andrei Zagdansky
Cameramen:
Yevgeniy Smirnov,
Igor Chepusov,
Andrei Zagdansky
Original score
Alexander Goldstein
Producer
Andrei Zagdansky

©2006 - 2007 AZ Films LLC