Kitezh-Vladimirskoe

Directed by Pieter Ten Hoopen

The small town Vladimirskoe lies in the Russian countryside and has struggled to survive after the fall of communism. But it is also a mythical town. According to legend, a lake nearby hides the mystical town Kitezh, which only appears to those pure of heart. In his filmmaking debut, still photographer Pieter ten Hoopen chronicles the town's inhabitants through beautiful tableau's, giving the viewer a sense of the inhabitants' purity of heart. Small elements of nature often break into the pictures, whether it is a fly or a cat walking past, which breaks the illusion of still photography.