On the 8th of November, the documentary Garage People (Germany, Russia 2020) will be screened at Tallinn University as part of the international academic workshop “The History and Present of Socialist Car Culture.” The film’s director is Natalija Yefimkina, who has German and Ukrainian roots.
In post-Soviet Russia there is a phenomenon beyond ice fishing, matryoshkas and vodka: the garage settlement. Tin huts, inhospitable from the outside, provide a refuge for a large number of Russians – mainly men.
With its humorous, unpredictable and bizarre scenes, the film GARAGE PEOPLE tells of the lives of some of them: Scrap collectors Ilja K. and Vitalik; Roman, who uses his garage for quail breeding; Pavel, who skilfully carves saint figures; Sergej, whose Parkinson's disease does not stop him from continuing his handiwork; the struggling musician Ilya; and Viktor, who has added four underground floors to his space in decades of work. We hear their tales, both tragic and light-hearted, that allow us to gaze deep inside the Russian soul. The men speak for themselves – and with each other, sharing their concerns, their fears and their joys. In this way we gain insight into an everyday reality that takes place in secret.
The event is free of charge. The screening takes place on November 8, 16:00 o’clock, at Tallinn University’s “SuperNova” Cinema (Narva mnt 27, 4th floor, room N-406) in the framework of the academic international workshop “History and Present of the Socialist Car Culture”. The documentary is 90 minutes and will be screened in the Russian original with English subtitles.
It is followed by a panel discussion and Q&A in English with Natalija Yefimkina (Film Director), and the researchers Luise Rellensmann (architectural history), Diana Popa (film studies), and Kristo Nurmis (history).