Living Heroes

An almanac of short feature films based on stories by Mikhail Mishin from the collection of short stories "Pause in a Major".

A man and his grandmother hide out from an ominous broadcast. The Grim Reaper hosts a TV show. The formerly incarcerated recount and reinterpret their first days of freedom. A suburban mom's life is upturned by the beast growing inside of her. And a high school gym teacher runs drills from inside a volcano. What happens when five of independent film's most adventurous filmmakers join together to literally adapt each other’s dreams for the screen?

In Profile and Full Face

The film tells about the inhabitants of the Russian city of Tsaritsyn-Stalingrad-Volgograd. The film consists of three novellas, united by the theme of love and the scene - a city on the Volga.

Гарача гыз

Puple, Valerian and Asiko are elderly actors. People no longer pay attention to the famous actors of the past. The troupe went on tour without them. They gladly agree to introduce their art to the residents of the village of Fandauri, but as they arrive in the village they find out that they have been invited to the opening of the spring, and they are only asking them for a poem or just a word that touches their heart. The cheerful mood of the actors will be replaced by a sad one.

The film comprises three cinematic novellas: (1) “And They Arrived at the Peasant’s Hut… or the Adventures of Writer Senya in Search of the Hidden Word,” in which writer Senya draws inspiration for his rural novels from his housekeeper Yermolayevna’s tales; (2) “The Song, or How the Great Louarsab Organized a Choir,” where a city visitor attempts to form a choir of centenarian elders in a Georgian mountain village; (3) “What Is Our Life?! or What Is Our Life?!”—during a musical reenactment of pre-Revolutionary France, a drunken actor’s tardiness forces King Louis XIV (also the theater committee chairman) and the cast to improvise the play’s ending.

A satirical express train sets off on its way. The driver S. Mikhalkov gives a farewell beep ... On the first carriage an inscription - "Summer cottage". The following are 8 short stories ...

A film anthology featuring three stories: 1) “The Capron Christmas Tree” - Two men and a city dandy, courting a village girl, return home on New Year’s Eve, with the dandy’s nylon Christmas tree gift offending the men. 2) “A Ticket for the Second Showing” - Timofey, an elderly village swindler, regrets his life and prays to Saint Nicholas for a second chance. 3) “The Version” - A rural braggart recounts his city adventure with a restaurant manager, challenging disbelievers to join him on a repeat trip.

Armenian film containing three short stories: the story about the first driver and coachman of old Yerevan, the complicated psychological relationship of a loving couple set in the backdrop of Garni Temple during reconstruction and a story about human life from the point of view of a poor and homeless dog.

A film almanac consisting of two short stories, united by a common idea of the need to maintain harmony between private and public interests: “Suite” and “One Fine Day”. The hero of the story ”Suite" is a lifeguard on the shore. The events taking place at sea do not bother him at all. To the music of Bizet, he dreams of Carmen, her exploits, valor and strong love... The hero of the short story “One Fine Day”, a promising researcher, one morning saw a spaceship from his balcony. Do this a little restlessly to his mother-in-law, neighbors, acquaintances, boss and, finally, to a psychiatrist...

Two episodes about the relationship between men and women in Lithuanians soviet era.

Alex Owens, a young woman juggling between two odd jobs, aspires to become a successful ballet dancer. Nick, who is her boss and lover, supports and encourages her to fulfil her dream.

Jean-Claude Delsart, a 50 years-old bailiff, with his worn-out smile and heart, abandoned a long time ago the idea that life could give him pleasures. Until the day, he dares to push the doors of a tango lesson...

When illegal card dealer and recovering heroin addict Frankie Machine gets out of prison, he decides to straighten up. Armed with nothing but an old drum set, Frankie tries to get honest work as a drummer. But when his former employer and his old drug dealer re-enter his life, Frankie finds it hard to stay clean and eventually finds himself succumbing to his old habits.

Sent to Mexico to help take care of aging Father Benito, young Father Amaro faces a moral challenge when he meets a 16-year-old girl who he starts an affair with. Likewise, the girl's mother had been having an affair with Father Benito. Father Amaro must choose between a holy or sinful life.

London, 1929. Frank Webber, a very busy Scotland Yard detective, seems to be more interested in his work than in Alice White, his girlfriend. Feeling herself ignored, Alice agrees to go out with an elegant and well-mannered artist who invites her to visit his fancy apartment.

A transgender woman takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she had a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

The mother of a severely traumatized daughter enlists the aid of a unique horse trainer to help the girl's equally injured horse.