Zimni Buff

In Zimni Buff surrealist street show scenes in the frosty air of St. Petersburg, bringing back memories of the beginning of this century, are interlaced with interviews with actors from present-day Russia. The heyday of Russian street theatre took place in the years before the revolution of 1917. No matter how vicious the winter was or how icy the cold, nothing would restrain the actors, often scantily dressed, from staging short, romantic or bizarre acts in the street. And no matter how hastily the passers-by plodded through the snow, they would always halt for a brief encounter with a dancing clown. Images that keep the memory of these days alive are commented on by actors of professional Russian theatre groups. In this way, questions about the relationship between the actor and his audience, the role of the theatre in disrupted times and the state of affairs in modern Russian theatre are brought up for discussion. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)