The history of Russian children’s donation hit the big screen

On December 17, at 19:00 in the Cinema Hall "Domzhur" in Moscow, the premiere of the full-length documentary film "Linar" about the Ufa boy who had a heart transplant will take place. The idea of the film was suggested by a surgeon from Moscow, but the main events take place abroad. In Russia, pediatric organ transplants have been banned for many decades. According to the authors, this is one of the most important and closed problems of medicine in Russia, so it’s time to talk with the audience about this topic.

On Tuesday, December 17, at 19:00 in the Cinema Hall "Domzhur" on Nikitsky Boulevard 8a, the Moscow Premiere of the documentary film "Linar" will be held. The film tells about a little boy who goes from death to adulthood. Since birth, he has a sore heart. The only thing that can help the child is transplantation. Having overcome many trials, Linar with an artificial heart goes in search of a real small heart to a foreign country. For several years, next to the boy - only doctors and guardians. Mom and relatives of Linar believe in his return home.

The film was shot for five years in Russia and Italy. Closed screening of the still not finished picture was organized by the DOKer project in Moscow. The national premiere of the film took place in April this year at the First National Debut Festival "Movement" in Omsk, where the work received a Special Jury Prize and a Spectator Prize. Then the picture was also awarded the Spectator Prize at the 24th Open Festival of Documentary Cinema "Russia" in Yekaterinburg. “Linar” was the only film representing Russia in the 13th IFF International Documentary Film Competition “Flahertiana” in Perm, was shown in the main competition of the IFF Documentary Cinema Ciné-DOC in Tbilisi, as well as at the Russian Art Week in Cannes as part of the Special impressions. In October of this year, the tape was nominated for the East Silver Eye Award in the category Best Feature Documentary of the Year in Jihlava, Czech Republic.

“The competitive“ Linar ”is clearly one of the most interesting Russian debuts of recent years and quite a candidate for getting into the Berlinale program - a touching and very cleverly built story about a heart transplant for a child, replenishment of the cohort of films of the plan“ Anton is nearby ”and, like the last, the breakthrough is primarily cinematic. At the closing ceremony, the jury member Igor Petrenko, handing the audience award, just did not kiss the director’s legs and was generally right. ”
Oleg Baranov, Look At Me

“Linar” is an unusually high-quality and expensive film for our documentary. Two film crews are filming Tatarstan (Linar’s mother remained there) and Italy. The Italian group (main) works by the method of long-term observation, and Linar himself has time to grow during the filming. Brilliant, “cinematic”, rather than television, camera work, where large and super-large plans coexist comfortably with the general ones, filming is done on the move. The camera works even when the conditions for this are very difficult: Linar’s stay in the hospital, his relations with people, the solution of hygiene problems in a boy whose wire sticks out of his stomach. It’s clear that it’s very difficult to approach the boy, so Nastya Tarasova decides the psychological part of the film through adults who understand the severity of the situation… ”
Sergey Sychev, FilmPro

“… The film was created by the author as a blood flow (both visually and metaphorically), and it seems that the blood circulation will freeze if you stop participating in it with your audience heart. The little hero of the film is striking, its adult heroes are striking. Especially the doctor Marcel accompanying the baby to Italy, where Linara will nevertheless undergo a rescue operation. You can very expressively remove your face. But how can you take a soul close-up? Cameraman Irina Shatalova removed. The film evokes some kind of blood compassion, and above all - love. Human love is not omnipotent, but as long as it exists, even a melting life remains a real life. ”
Ekaterina Shashkina, “Evening Yekaterinburg”

“The film was built perfectly, in accordance with all the laws of drama, and at some point you even get the feeling that you are watching a game picture - there are too many details and artistic techniques: the light at the end of the hospital corridor, the jumping thread of the cardiogram, the tense signals for supporting life. No, not too much, and this, perhaps, is not even directorial techniques, but… well, who is up there thinking up our fates and painting life’s interiors? ”
Ekaterina Sabirova, “FISH”

“… The film is magnificent, so well and boldly made, that it just tears you apart from emotions. The passion and drama of what is happening is emphasized by the unique music of Dmitry Selipanov. The film contains dreams, sometimes nightmares, they are associated with the suffering of a boy who has to go through a lot in order to achieve the goal - to get a new heart. However, the scenes that touch the viewer most are those that show Linar’s daily life, proximity to nurses and “uncles” — the Russian surgeons who are next to him in Italy. The authors of the film managed to create a fantastic image (especially) of the young Marcel Tagaev - the one who plays with Linar, feeds him, and communicates with his mother, who remained in Russia because of two other children. The wonderful relationship between the two, the warm, but disturbing feelings of "Uncle Marcel", whose attachment to Linard has long ago grown into something more than the usual connection between the patient and the doctor, all this makes the film appeal directly (sorry) to your heart! "
Tue Steen Muller, filmkommentaren.dk