Congratulations and best wishes,

... to everyone who contributed to the creation of this film. It strikes me as a masterful integration of value-laden story, acting, directing, editing, and photography. If there is interest, I can write more of why I think so.

A Russian correspondent of mine, who wrote me that he once saw and loved an earlier film of Roman's, adding that Balayan was born of Armenian parents in Kiev in 1941, a tumultuous time. If true, this might explain Roman's indifference to separating Ukrainian from Russian, and his deciding to make "Bright..." about fundamental life value-choices that are universal, and to work in the Slavic language most easily available to him among professionals and most broadly accessible to his first audience.

In India they make films in English. To me, Russian and English are languages imposed broadly by imperial powers; one can embrace or ignore them at one's own peril.

Technical questions: which Eastman films were used as camera and release stock? What intermediates, if any? We enjoyed beautiful image and sound from a projected DVD with superimposed English sub-titles; which sub-titled generation was this DVD made from, and where? Will Roman Balayan work in film again, or will he move to all digital?

=db

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