Tina Barkalaya, who directed the Russian film Hoffman's Fairy Tales, said on Friday that domestic violence is prevalent in every country and she has tried to bring back hope through the film. Hoffman's Fairy Tales depicts the life of a Nadezhda during the turbulent times in Russia following the disintegration of Soviet Union. The film is competing for the prestigious Golden Peacock award at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) being held here. IFFI 2023: Indian Government Enhances Incentives for Foreign Film Production, Announces New Filmmaking Policy.

Sharing the incident of a brutal attack inflicted upon Margarita Gracheva - a Russian woman whose both hands were shopped off by her abusive husband - Barkalaya pointed out that even in the 21st century, domestic violence is prevalent in every country, be it India, Georgia or Russia. “I wanted this story to be a fairy tale and fairy tales always have happy endings," she said. Throwing light on the idea and objective of the film, Barkalaya said that in a world riddled with domestic violence, her film tries to bring back hope.

“The name of the protagonist in this film is Nadezhda and it is no coincidence that the word means ‘hope’ in Russian. In the film, the protagonist. a librarian. is always putting a bookmark in every book she gives to the customers and the title of the bookmark also reads 'bring back hope',” she added. Barkalaya said that her experience in short films and music videos taught her how to work quickly and effectively in the production of a feature film. 2023 IFFI Unveils New Initiatives and Recognises OTT Excellence, Michael Douglas to Receive Satyajit Ray Lifetime Award.

“Visual aspect is very important for me. My stint with advertising also helped me. I believe cinema is like embroidery," she said. Though music and background score are important in cinemas, sometimes silence can be even more effective, she added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 25, 2023 08:51 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).