Veit HELMER
Файт ХЕЛЬМЕР
Veit HELMER
Germany / Russia / Kazakhstan, 2011, 95mn 
Colour, fiction
Baikonur
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Байконур

 

 Baikonur

 Baikonur

 
Directed by : Veit HELMER (Файт ХЕЛЬМЕР)
Writing credits : Sergey ASHKENAZI (Сергей АШКЕНАЗИ), Veit HELMER (Файт ХЕЛЬМЕР)
Produced by : Veit HELMER (Файт ХЕЛЬМЕР), Sergey SELIANOV (Сергей СЕЛЬЯНОВ)
Other persons :
Cast :
Alexander ASOCHAKOV ... Iskander 'Gagarin' Orinbekov
Marie de VILLEPIN ... Julie Mahé
Sitora FARMONOVA ... Nazira
Erbulat TOGUZAKOV
Music : Goran BREGOVIC
Cinematography : Nikolai KANOW
Production Design : Sonja BREAM-WINZENRIED
Producers : Anna KATCHKO, Dagmar MIELKE, Bettina RICKLEFS, Gulnara SARSENOVA, Andreas SCHREITMÜLLER, Rosemarie WINTGEN

Production : CTB, Veit Helmer Filmproduktion, Tandem Pictures, Eurasia Film Production, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) (co-production), Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) (co-production), ARTE (co-production)
 
Sites : Allociné, IMDb
Release date in France : 2013-10-27, Site

Plot synopsis
An absolutely stunning visual delight, BAIKONUR is a most unusual love story. The Baikonur Cosmodrome, an entire Kazakh city administered by Russia, encompasses an old yet ultra-modern space launch facility. Riding furiously across the barren steppes outside Baikonur are rival groups of Kazakh horsemen, intent on being the first to reach newly-landed space junk, which they recycle for a profit. Burning objects rain from the sky on a regular basis. The villagers’ motto: Whatever falls from heaven is a gift from God, and belongs to the first who finds it. The launches are monitored by a young Kazakh ham radio operator and space fanatic calling himself Gagarin, after the Soviet cosmonaut. One day the capsule containing a beautiful French space tourist named Julie crashes on its way back to Earth, rendering her comatose. Gagarin takes her tenderly into his yurt and places her on a bier, like Sleeping Beauty. What will happen when she wakes up? Will Gagarin follow Julie to her otherworldly life or remain down-to-the-Kazakh-earth? (In English, Kazakh, Russian, and French with subtitles)
 

Commentaries and bibliography
Veit Helmer: Baikonur (2012), Vida JOHNSON, kinokultura.com, 2013
Baikonur de Veit Helmer, arte.tv/fr, 2011
 

Selected in the following festivals or events :
- War in contemporary Russian cinema, kinoglaz.fr (France), 2023
- Festival de films russes Kinorama au cinéma Royal de Biarritz, Biarritz (France), 2014
- Release in France of the film, Different cities (France), 2013-10-27
- Film Festival ’Romantic days’ in Cabourg, Cabourg (France), 2013
- Cinémas russes à Montauban, Montauban (France), 2013
- Sedona International Film Festival, Sedona (Arizona) (USA), 2013
- Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil ), 2012
- New Cinema Festival, Montreal (Canada), 2012
- Prague International Film Festival : Febiofest, Prague (Czech Republic), 2012
- Cairo International Film Festival, Cairo (Egypt), 2012
- Arras International Film Festival, Arras (France), 2012
- Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF), Moscow (Russia), 2012
- Durban International Film Festival, Durban (Southern Africa), 2012
- Antalya "Golden Orange" International Film Festival, Antalya (Turkey), 2012
- Clevelant International Film Festival, Cleveland (USA), 2012
- Tbilisi International Film Festival, Tbilisi (Georgia), 2011
- Busan International Film Festival : BIFF, Busan (Pusan) (Korea, South), 2011