1917 – Der wahre Oktober

Katrin Rothe's animated film is an exploration of the interconnectedness of revolution, art and power based on the period from the first uprisings in February 1917 to the so-called “October Revolution”. In the process she draws upon contemporary notes from artists such as author Zinaida Gippius and her sceptical observations on the Bolshevik members' gradual promotion to positions of power, Alexandre N. Benois, who formed a committee for the preservation of historical monuments for fear of vandalism and Malevich and Mayakovsky, the latter pair filled with revolutionary verve and vigour. Soon they were to come under political pressure, ending up in exile or victims of suicide. A perceptive chronicle of the events of 1917, with these artists' perspectives offering new insight into the events of the eve of the “October Revolution”, the conflict between parliamentarianism and workers' councils, and ultimately between artistic freedom and totalitarian visions of the "New Soviet person". BB