Vasya

Vasiliy Sitnikov - Vasya - officially insane, a man without a passport, in and out of mental institutions, key figure of the nonconformist art movement in the Soviet Union. Vasya left behind astonishing artworks, some of which found their way into the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Yet he remains a compelling, controversial mystery. Who was this incredible artist? Why does his legend still confound those who knew him? In this award winning meta-documentary, filmmaker blending documentary and animated footage, creates a portrait of a man, an artist and the society around him.

Festivals & Awards

Andrei Zagdansky Retrospective
Odessa, 2016
XXIV Moscow IFF
Moscow, Russia 2003
IFF "Message to Man"
St. Petersburg, Russia, 2003
Jury Award Film Festival “Window to Europe”
Vyborg, Russia 2003
Red Shift FF
Anthology Film Archive, NYC 2003
Moscow Human Rights IFF
Moscow, Russia 2002
Jury Award; New York Exposition
of Short Film & Video
New York 2002

Press/Blogs

You do not need to be a connoisseur of things Russian to appreciate this film, but you will especially like it if you are still in search of that ever elusive comprehension of the "Russian Soul" the ultimate mix of the struggles that comprise one human lifetime in a wrong place at the wrong time. Vasily (Vasya) Sitnikov's paintings and drawings at least those that survived him, speak less of his asserted insanity and much more of his unique perception of reality and his unfortunate burden having been born in the USSR. The film about Vasya's absurd life and his exceptional art, which you'll most likely never see otherwise, discovers this largely unknown, but MAGICAL painter for those of us who appreciate discoveries at any age in any form.
Marber, blog

Credits

Conceived, directed, edited by Andrei Zagdansky
Animation by Signe Baumane
Cameraman Yevgeni Smirnov
Original score by Alexander Goldstein
Produced by Andrei Zagdansky
Co-producer Andrei Razumovsky

60 Minutes
A co-production of
AZ Films LLC and Fora Films LLC
©2002 AZ Films LLC