I would be lying if I said that a Russian language film was on my list of films to watch at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, but the beauty of the festival means that you can have a completely refreshing, new experience without even planning for it. Natalia Meshchaninova’s Core of the World brought together the exploration of identity, self-worth, and love, with relatable characters and a simple storyline. We sat down with Natalia to discuss the making of her film, and some of the core – pardon the pun – elements of the creative piece itself.
Note: The interview is in Russian with English subtitles.
Core of the World at TIFF is supported by ROSKINO (roskino.org).
About Natalia
Born in Krasnodar, Russia, Natalia is a creative who has juggled many hats. In addition to directing, she has worked as a cinematographer, and screenwriter. She made her feature film debut with The Hope Factory, winning best film at the 2014 Vilnius International Film Festival and Best Debut at the 2015 Russian Guild of Film Critics. She is no stranger to TIFF. She wrote the screenplay to 2017’s Arrhythmia, which screened at that year’s festival. The Core of the World is her follow-up feature, juggling both the director hat and the screenwriter hat.
The Interview
We explored various elements of the film in our in-depth interview, especially the exploration of the human behaviour, the use of animals to emphasize that, and the subtle background elements that played into the creation of the overall story.
