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In Search of a Lost Paradise
In Search of a Lost Paradise
Directed by	Evgeniy Tsymbal
Written by	Alexander Smoljanski; Evgeniy Tsymbal;
Produced by	Alexander Smoljanski
Cinematography	Victor Dobronitsky; Alexander Smoljanski;
Edited by	Alexander Gurin; Evgeniy Tsymbal;
Production; company	Soms Films
Release date	September 25, 2015 (United Kingdom);
Running time	52 minutes
Countries	Germany; France; Russia;
Languages	Russian; (with English subtitles);

In Search of a Lost Paradise is a 2015 German-Russian documentary by Evgeniy Tsymbal and Alexander Smoljanski which tells the story of Russian artist Valentina Kropivnitskaya and her husband, the artist Oscar Rabin.

Aside from the biography of the artists, the film also addresses their unconventional thoughts about twentieth-century art. The director, Evgeny Tsymbal, one of the most internationally acclaimed contemporary Russian documentary filmmakers (BAFTA, FIPRESCI and 30 other awards), recounts this refugee success story of an artist who was true to her talent and never gave into the pressures of life.

In Search of a Lost Paradise is the recipient of a Nika award 2016 for Best Documentary Feature.

Background

In 1974, Rabin and Kropivnitskaya organized a prohibited open-air art exhibition, which was smashed by the KGB using bulldozers. The following day the event was publicized worldwide. In 1977, Oscar Rabin was placed under house arrest and shortly thereafter, the family was exiled from the USSR and stripped off their citizenship. However, this historical event forced the Soviets to change their stance regarding art.

They came to France without any money and not knowing a single word of French - they nevertheless continued pursuing their artistic passion, and gradually became famous painters.

It is a story about great talent and great love. One that shows what it is like to live in a totalitarian regime, while still trying to retain one's personal and artistic freedom, a story of people, who have created the very notion of nonconformist art, later called The Second Russian Avant-garde; who never betrayed their artistic principles and showed how powerful a weapon nonviolent resistance can be.

Production

The pre-production started in 2008 when producer Alexander Smoljanski, who was then living in Paris, discovered that Russian painter Oscar Rabin lived next-door. After gathering more than 30 hours of interview footage, he invited Evegeniy Tsymbal to join the project which eventually was completed in summer 2015. It has since received positive reviews from critics^[1]^[2] and was awarded Best Documentary at various international film festivals.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Location	Category	Result
2015	3rd Indian Cine Film Festival-15	Mumbai, India	Best Documentary	Nominated
	Portsmouth International Film Festival	Portsmouth, UK	Best Documentary	Won^[3]
	Southampton International Film Festival	Southampton, UK	Best Editing	Won^[4]
	Russia Abroad International Film Festival	Moscow, Russia	Cinema Academy Award	Won^[5]
	The International Human Rights Film Festival “STALKER”	Moscow, Russia	Best Documentary	Won^[6]
2016	Berlin Independent Film Festival	Berlin, Germany	Best Documentary	Won^[7]
	«Nika» Award	Moscow, Russia	Best Documentary	Won^[8]^[9]
	Paris Independent Film Festival	Paris, France	Best Documentary	Won^[10]