Interview with Sergei Bodrov on "The Voice"

First of all, we would like to ask you where the story that you tell in your movie comes from.
My story comes from the real life. For sure, it is not a fiction. I have many friends who tried adapting kids and it was not easy.

With regard to the topic that was given to you, which aspect struck you the most? Are there ways in which you were already addressing it in your work?

I think human rights are very important but I believe these rights are most crucial for the children. The children are most helpless. We have to fight for them.

Human rights are real, something you can feel on your skin, and not something abstract. In a film, the artist and director – just like the poet – creates a personal universe that is drawn from his or her own life in one way or another. Can you help us understand the link between your short film and the experiences that led you to make it

Yes, human rights are not abstract. After the shoot, I understood more - each human voice matters.

We think that culture in general and cinema in particular can help people to better understand the importance of human rights in their own lives. What do you want to provoke in the wider public with your film?

I agree. Of course, cinema can help people in different ways. I tried to film the reality.

In most of the films created for this project, we see signs of clashes deriving from cultural diversity or caused by limitations imposed on individuals that curtail their freedom in different ways. What do you think is the reason for that?

I think limitation and imposed on individuals create most of the problems. Many years ago I have made a movie about a boy who tried to escape from the reform school. He has a tattoo on his arm – “Freedom is paradise”. It is still very common tattoos among the prisoners.

This project involves artists and directors, people who usually work with very different languages. What do you think are the differences between artists and directors in their approach to the creative process?

I love to work with the different languages. It makes the work more interesting.

Now let’s talk a bit about you. Who is Sergei Bodrov?

I do not like to talk about myself. I am a film director. That’s enough.