SNEAK PREVIEW – SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING

A few years ago, British filmmaker Daniel Edelstyn became mildly obsessed after discovering his grandmother’s journals in the attic of his family home. Maroussia Zorokovich, born into a wealthy Ukrainian Jewish family, was a budding writer and dancer before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution rewrote her destiny and sent her into exile. Propelled by his fascination with Moroussia, Edelstyn travels to the Ukraine in search of his Jewish roots. When he discovers the vodka distillery opened by his great grandfather in 1904 is still in operation, Edelstyn decides—despite his utter lack of business experience—to become a liquor entrepreneur and import the vodka to the UK. This funny, charming documentary employs an ambitious mixture of vérité cinematography and inventive animated sequences created by and starring the artist Hilary Powel (Edelstyn’s wife). Released theatrically in the UK in March 2012.

“**** A tender, extraordinary underdog tale filled with humour, fear and above all, spirit. A heady delight of a documentary that will warm your cockles.” -Empire Magazine

 “A barnstorming tale of vodka and revolution.” -BBC Radio

 UK, 2012, 75 minutes

Directed by Daniel Edelstyn

JEWISHFILM.2012

The National Center for Jewish Film’s 15^th Annual Film Festival

April 18-29

www.jewishfilm.org