Odyssey MD
Date:
December 15, 2022
Odyssey MD
Odyssey MD
by Pavel Braila
ArtWatt | Moldova
Documentary | 1st feature
Logline
One country, one journey, one poetical logbook of Moldova – a country that probably didn’t exist, until Russia unfolded the war in Ukraine. Moldova – the closest neighbour, started appearing in the headlines of the world press.
Synopsis
The protagonist of the film is Moldova – picturesque and unique, happy and sad. It’s a symphony composed of thousands of faces caught by the eye of camera during one year and edited as a day. No narration and no comments, just the daily life chronicle in combination with live sound. The movie is a tribute to today and to our contemporaries who live in this country – but in essence it is a film about the human race, about how people are born, how they grow up, fall in love, leave their parental homes, get in trouble, suffer, and help each other.
Director’s Profile
Pavel Braila was born in 1971 in Chișinau, He graduated from the Technical University of Moldova; the State University of Moldova; the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, and Le Fresnoy Studio national des arts contemporains. Since the mid-1990s the artist has participated in numerous international art exhibitions and film festivals with films, videos, installations, photos, and performances. In 2002 his film “Shoes for Europe” was shown at the documenta 11f or which he has gained exposure and international acclaim throughout Europe and USA. In 2004 Braila initiated in Moldova the unique TV project “Alte Arte” – a TV Magazine on Contemporary Art, that was produced by artists and broadcasted on Moldovan national TV. In 2007, his monumental installation “Barons’ Hill” was shown in Neue Nationalgalerie. Film “Definitively Unfinished” was awarded in 2009 at the Oberhausen International Film Festival. In 2011 Braila presented “Chisinau – city difficult to pronounce”, that deals with life in Chisinau throughout a full year.
In 2013 “Ink Ribbon Fingerprints” got the CELESTE PRIZE for the best Video.
In 2015 Braila’s concept represented the pavilion of Republic of Moldova at the World Expo in Milano, Ida-Tops Award. in 2017 Pavel Braila took part for the second time in documenta14. 2019 his short film “DOINA” premiered at the TIFF Cluj/Audience Award Ravac film fest. 2020 Braila directed and produced another TV project “BenzoKaraoke”.
Company Profile
ArtWatt is an NGO founded in 1998. Since then ARTWATT developed and produced films, TV shows, interdisciplinary cultural projects, innovative, socially engaged works and promoted them on the national and international levels. The first project was in 1999 an exhibition called “Moldovan Sign”, dedicated to the local and peripheral contemporary art scene, with artists from Romania, Ukraine and Moldova, (financed by ProHelvetia)
Between 2003/05, produced a unique project Alte Arte, the TV-program on contemporary art realised by artists and filmmakers, 30 episodes were broadcasted on the national tv channel Moldova1, (Bundeskulturstiftung)
2013 project “Talking Letters”, a film – research dedicated to Romani language. Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Lithuania & Austria Co production. ( ECF, ERSTE & Open Society Institute”. In 2013 the film “JOC-Energy for Life” premiered at EXPO Milano 2015, Top-Ideas Awards 2015. In 2016 AW created for the UN Women Organisation a series of videos for the world campaign “to end the violence against women and girls”. In 2017 Art Watt produced the project in public space called “The Ship” – presented at documenta 14 in Kassel. In 2019 ArtWatt produced a short fiction ”Doina” directed by Pavel Braila, project was supported by the CNC Moldova and premiered at the Transilvania International Film Fest in Cluj. Audience Award at RAVAC International Film Fest 2020. In 2020 AW produced TV project “BENZO-Karaoke” (10 episodes) broadcasted on TVC21