Baikonur
by Veit Helmer
Kazakhstan/Germany/Russia 2011, 94 min
Whatever falls from heaven, you may keep
When astronaut Julie Mahé crash-lands with her small space capsule onto the Kazakh steppes, local radio operator Iskander (nicknamed 'Gagarin') finds her unconscious. Hopelessly lovestruck, he convinces the amnesiac Julie that they are engaged to be married. But even the most romantic lie cannot remain undiscovered forever.
Awards
Best Fiction Feature - Rockport FF 2013,
Special Mention - Avanca FF 2013,
Best Feature Film Award - Mediawave FF 2013,
Audience Award - Regiofun IFF Katowice 2012,
Audience Award, Best Cinematography - Filmforum Zadar 2012
Festivals
International Premiere: Busan IFF 2011
Cast & Crew
Alexander Asochakov, Marie De Villepin, Sitora Farmonova
Production: Veit Helmer-Filmproduktion in Coproduction with: Eurasia Film Production, Tandem Production and CTB Film Company
Veit Helmer
Starting to shoot films at age 14, Veit Helmer presented his feature debut TUVALU in 1999. Starring Denis Lavant, the film was invited to 62 festivals, including San Sebastian, London, Chicago, Berlin and Karlovy Vary. Followed by GATE TO HEAVEN (2003; with Miki Manojlovic and Udo Kier) and ABSURDISTAN (2008) that premiered at Sundance, Helmer’s films have participated and received awards at numerous festivals worldwide. As a member of the European Film Academy, he lectures at film schools in Prague, Beirut, Tbilisi, Djakarta and Almaty.
