We Need to Make Films about Love
We Need to Make Films about Love is a 2024 Russian independent drama film written and directed by and starring Roman Mikhaylov. It is Mikhaylov’s sixth feature-length film. Like his later 2024 film The Firebird, it follows a Russian film crew working in India.
The film premiered on 25 April 2024 at the 46th Moscow International Film Festival.
Plot
Actors Mark and Chingiz arrive in Varanasi to take part in an arthouse film shoot led by director Roman. During production, Mark begins a relationship with a Russian woman named Sveta. Tensions arise between personal relationships and the filmmaking process, leading to disappearances, stalled shooting, and conflicts between the director and his cast.As the boundaries between life and cinema blur, Roman attempts to incorporate reality itself into the film. The final scenes emphasize love as both subject and method, culminating in the director’s assertion that “we should make movies about love.”
Cast
- Mark Eydelshteyn as Mark
- Darya Bryukhanova as Sveta
- Roman Mikhaylov as Roman, director
- Alexandra Kiseleva as Sasha, actress
- Maria Matsel as Masha, actress
- Illarion Marov as Larik, actor
- Chingiz Garaev as Chingiz, actor
- Dmitry Kuznetsov (Husky) as Dima, musician
- Alina Nasibullina as assistant director
Release
Marketing
A teaser was released on 17 March 2024. Mikhaylov described the film as a parable about the fragmentation of the world and its healing through love.Theatrical
The world premiere took place in the "Russian Premieres" competition at the 46th MIFF, where seven films competed.The film received two awards at the festival.
Awards
- 2024 — Moscow International Film Festival 2024: NETPAC Jury Prize
- 2024 — MIFF: Prize of the Federation of Film Clubs