The Russian Winter

This film follows former Fugees singer John Forté on his From Brooklyn to Russia with Love! tour. By the time he was 21, the soul and R&B singer had a highly successful music career, including with the Grammy-winning Fugees. But in 2000, he was arrested at Newark International Airport with a suitcase full of liquid cocaine. Sentenced to 14 years in a federal penitentiary, many fellow artists lobbied for his release, including Carly Simon and Ben Taylor, her son by James Taylor. In the end, he served seven-and-a-half years before getting pardoned by President George W. Bush in 2008. Three years later, Forté was invited by Russian musicians to tour their country, combining charity work with musical collaborations. Against the atmospheric backdrop of a freezing Russia, the film shows Forté playing chess in the night train to Tatarstan, as well as visiting an orphanage in St. Petersburg and a beauty contest in sophisticated Moscow. He cuts an unusual figure, his long dreadlocks contrasting with the white streets, and Forté regularly encounters cultural misunderstandings. Interspersed between footage of studio recording sessions, concerts and press conferences is black-and-white interview footage of Forté giving his views on his second chance, the comfort of music, and how his time in prison inspired his new music - much of which can be heard in this musical search for freedom. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)