Velimir Khlebnikov (1885–1922) is one of the most unusual figures in Russian literature. He is regarded as the father of Russian Futurism. He was a poet and a mathematician who believed that mathematics could be used to calculate the future. In his work, Khlebnikov experimented with language. He left behind an archaic repository of foreign words, calculations of future events, and theories aimed at uniting all belief systems into a war-free coexistence, in which states would exist without territorial borders.

The video is intended as a short portrait of Khlebnikov. It is a kind of mosaic that looks at Khlebnikov from today’s perspective and through the motifs of his poetry. We get to know the poet through the stories told by students in Kalmykia, and we see how he perceived and described himself: a wanderer, a somewhat romanticized outsider, immersed in his inner world, who saw his life’s mission as calculating death and saving humanity from wars.

Cast:

Velimir Khlebnikov — Sergey Bystrov
Students from the Maloderbetovskaya Gymnasium
Cadets from Volgograd
Cossack Cadet Corps named after K. I. Nedorubov

Crew:

Director: Kristina Paustian
Production: Kristina Paustian, Dariya Susak, Fedor Goncharov
Director of Photography: Sarah Yona Zweig
1st Assistant Camera: Jury Tokarev
Editing: Dariya Susak
Sound (location sound, sound design, mix): Nikita Alexeenko
Music: Losev & Schamsutdinov, “Oceans”; Diego Stocco, “Experibass”; Andrea Belfi, “Forme Creano Oggetti”; Deaf Center, “Oblivion”
Color grading: Dariya Susak