IGOR KALENOV, DIRECTOR OF THE FILM „ ALEXANDER, THE BATTLE OF NEVA“

In the framework of the program Discoveries of the 37th FEST, the first film shown was Igor Kalenov’s „Alexander, the Battle of Neva“. The film is based on the historical event from the 13th century, the famous battle on the River Neva, when the Russian army beat the Swedes. The Russian commander was Prince Alexander, who after the battle became known as „Alexander of Neva“. The battle took place on July 15, 1240. Kalenov’s film has drawn much attention, not only in Belgrade (the first sold-out screening), but also in Poland, France, Germany.

„It’s great that my film caused interest, because it was made for the public and not only dealing with Russian history, but also contemporarily topical. The reason is also that there are not a lot of films of this genre in the cinemas. I can’t even imagine that people don’t know who Alexander of Neva is. His name is one of the greatest in Russian history and I know that the Poles, Turks, French and Germans know about him. The interest for my film is the proof that people outside of Russia want to know about our saga. The viewers have associated themselves with these historical events and it seems that we have succeeded in our intentions. You know, it’s difficult to make an historical film. In order to succeed, you must be authentic and prepared for hard work. Also, to be honest, great responsibility is needed. We have tried to involve true historical events, avoiding historical fantasies.

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