
Inthe1960s,theSovietcinematographerLeonidBurlakaworkedonfilmsthatwentaroundtheworldfortheOdesskayakinostudiyainhisnativecityofOdesaintheformerUkrainianSovietSocialistRepublic.TodayheiseightyyearsoldanddiagnosedwithAlzheimer’s;hismemoryisvisiblyfading.FilmmakerIgorIvankofollowsthetracesleftbyhisgrandfatheranddiscoversanarchiveofimmensevalueinthegarage.<br/> Dozensofrollsofphotofilm,albeitalmostdecayed,arefoundbetweengardeningandothertools.Thegrandsonscansthematerialandshowsittohisgrandparents.Burlaka’sfacebrightenswhenherecognisesfamiliarfaces,buthecan’tremembermuch.Ivankorealisesthathehasatreasureofhistoricaldimensionsinhishands.LeonidBurlakabeganhiscareerwhenmanySovietcreativeartistswerestrugglingwithcensorship.Whenstaterepressioneasedinthemid-1960s,hehadlongestablishedhimselfinhisprofession.Thepoliticalchange,however,wasreflectedinhisworks.Ivanko’sattempttorecordhisgrandfather’smemoriesbeforetheydisappearforevercomestoolate.ButhesucceedsatmakingafilmthatlooksbackonfiftyyearsofcinemaandlifeintheUSSR:astirringportraitofthetimesandthefamilybetweenemotionandinformation.

