Now residing in London, Radchenko’s films have been selected by some if the world’s major fashion and short film festivals including Berlin Commercial, Underwire and Aesthetica, to name a few.
The thoughts of award-winning director and multidisciplinary artist from Moscow Anna Radchenko
“I was a mother at thirty and on my medical card it appeared as an «Old Mother»; which when you think about it is crazy. Women over the age of forty or fifty without children are often overlooked and encouraged to follow a more sedentary lifestyle. But on the other hand it is perceived that men improve with age. This mentality is particularly true in Russia, although it is still very present throughout the world.
How many women in their thirties will consider the possibility of being mothers? That decision that you have to make at a certain moment because “we miss the rice”. Anna Radchenko’s new project, Grandmothers is an audiovisual piece that symbolizes this feeling. What if we could be mothers at 50 or 60 years old? What if it was natural?
It holds an element of criticism, but it’s also a positive reminder of how far we’ve come in terms of being able to make our choices.
The project, made up of a series of photographs and a short film, vindicates the role of “adult mothers” in society.
In a humorous tone, she expresses the pressure of society for women to become mothers at a certain age and continue to be considered valuable. The film was recorded in Russia, in what was one of the main gynecological hospitals in the country, the hospital has not been used since 2013. The location also plays with our perception, combining the new with the old. The videos’ set design look and aesthetic feel channels a strong post-soviet aesthetic.
DON’T MISS OUT!, OUR LIST OF WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVALS:
• The Barcelona International Women’s Film Festival keeps supporting and promoting works by women filmmakers, and women’s culture in general.
• The Women’s International Film Festival Nigeria
• Women Over 50 Film Festival, inclusive, international film festival celebrating women over 50 in front of & behind the camera
• WIFF attracts industry and audience participants from around the world to empower and celebrate women’s voices and visions.
• Freiburg Lesbian Film Days is a lesbian centered film festival hosted in Freiberg, Germany and screens multiple films in it’s competitions from all over the world.
• The Berlin Feminist Film Week is a feminist film festival
• Uk, Birds’ Eye View (BEV) is a charity centering the female perspective in film and campaigns for gender equality in all film spaces.
Credits:
• Creative Director/Photographer: Anna Radchenko (@anna_radchenko ) • Creative Producer (TRXTR_Prod) – Anastasia Limarenko (@sonic_lee ) • Cinematographer: Dmitry Khon (@dmitrykhon ) • Editor, Colour Grader: Maria Gardash (@gardash.mary ) • Gaffer, Camera Technician: Gueorgii Boldenko (@boldmoscow ) • Line Producer – Maria Vorobeva (@maria_vorobeva1 ) •Albina Boychenko – (@albina__albi__) • Gaffer/Camera Technician – Gueorgui Boldenko (@boldmoscow ) •Spark – Firdavs Bobonazarov (@fedor_bobonazarov ) • Production Designer – Elya Strezhenyuk (@elyastrezhenyuk ) • Unit Production Manager – Mark Lemanov (@mark.lemanov ) • Unit Prod. Assistants – Sasha Severinov (@evelinasewerinova ) • Valery Roitman (@danger_pirate )•Vitaly Laysha (@privetlaysha ) • Stylist – Maria Fionina (@makmariee ) • Styling Assistants – Ivanilova Ekaterina (@ivanilova_katerina )• Lev Vorobyov (@blonde.driving ) • Make up – Sasha Yatsenko (@sasha_yatsenko) • Make-up Assistant – Valentina Borisova (@boriskavalentinovna ) •Hair Stylist – Marina Yatsenko (@yac_style ) • Alexey Kozhin (@bykozhin ), Timur Umiarov • VFX Make-up – Alexandr Slepukhin (@slepukhin.art )
