legendary Russian puppeteer
On summer evenings for two short years crowds of people converged on Harvard
Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to be entranced by the legendary outdoor
puppet performances of Igor Fokin 1. They came from far and wide to see the young
Russian’s magical marionettes. Fokin’s life was tragically cut short by a heart attack
in 1996. He is commemorated in the square with a statue of one of his puppets. 2
Originally released in 2001, an award-winning revised version of a documentary,
made last year, is being premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 3. “The Story of
Fenist” by USA-based Red Palette Pictures 4 is a 55-minute film in English and
English-subtitled Russian which chronicles Fokin’s extraordinary dedication to the art
of puppetry, from his 1960s upbringing in Leningrad (now St Petersburg), his
enrollment at age 13 in the School of Arts, his establishing The Wooden Horse
Theatre in the nearby town of Pushkin, his move to the USA in 1993, followed by his
family in 1994, to his death at the age of only 36.
Written and directed by Yelena Demikovsky 5, the film skilfully interweaves footage
of his puppetry with a story loosely based on the Russian fairytale “Fenist the Bright
Falcon,” one of Fokin’s enchanting plays from his days in Pushkin. The story of a
magical bird that overcomes great odds and reaches its star runs through the
documentary as a mirror of Fokin’s artistic struggles. This is the only documentary
made with the support of his family, who now live in St. Petersburg. The film
includes interviews with his family and friends, with all proceeds supporting his
widow, Asia, and their children, Yevgeny, Anna, and Grisha.
In keeping with the tradition of his art, Fokin made all his own puppets, including
their clothing. Initially he found carving from wood extremely difficult, frequently
injuring his hands. But over time he became so skilled he was able to carve wood like
soap and he only had to glance at a piece of wood to imagine its future. Those used in
his original production of Fenist are now in the Children’s Museum in St Petersburg.
Given a Merit in the Indie Fest Awards 2010 for Creativity/Originality, the film has
its Cannes premier on 18 May. Demikovsky, founder of Red Palette, who was born in
Russia but has lived in the USA for 18 years, has a broad theatre background and is
also known for her work on the ballet star Rudolf Nureyev.
“The Story of Fenist will introduce audiences to the magnetism and charm of Igor
Fokin and his puppets,” said Demikovsky. “Merging two stories in one, the film
brings viewers into the world of beautiful images and metaphors, music and theatre.”
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Notes for Editors
1. Igor Fokin was born in the former Soviet Union in 1960 and died 21 September, 1996, in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. His parents were divorced, and he lived with his mother,
grandmother and younger sister. Fokin was very attached to his father and the divorce left him
with an irreparable sense of loss. When he was still a little boy, Fokin took care of his younger
sister because his mother and grandmother worked. Even then, he displayed a love and talent
for music. He also loved to draw and would always sketch in his school notebooks and diaries.
At 13, he was enrolled at the School of the Arts in the theatre set design department. Soon his
work was being shown at municipal exhibitions. One of his most successful creations was a
costume for a character called fairy Berylune from Maeterlinck’s The Blue Bird. Later, while
studying at the Serov College of the Arts, he made his first puppet, also Berylune. While
working toward their diplomas, Fokin and his friends decided to found their own theatre.
After graduating from college, he was immediately drafted into the army. When he returned,
they opened the theatre in the town of Pushkin, not far from Leningrad. The theatre was
located in the old church and became known as The Wooden Horse. At the same time, Fokin
enrolled at the Leningrad Academy of Culture to study theatre directing. He moved to the
USA in 1993, and his family was allowed to follow him the next year. Apart from regular
summer evening performances in Cambridge, he also performed in the fringe festival at the
Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
2. The Igor Fokin memorial sculpture in Brattle Square, Cambridge MA, is of his puppet, Doo
Doo. The sculpture, designed and made by Konstantin Simon, was dedicated 22 September,
2001 and was partly funded by grants from The Fund for the Arts, Mass Cultural Council, and
Harvard Square Businesses. The memorial celebrates Fokin and “all street performers”.
3. Premier: 18 May at 4 pm in GRAY 5.
4. Produced by Brian Singh.
5. Yelena Demikovsky is founder of Red Palette Pictures. Born in Russia, she has lived in the
United States for more than 18 years. She is a documentary and narrative filmmaker with a
broad theatre background in the United States and Russia. Demikovsky has directed awardwinning
documentaries such as Unity, Happy To Be So, Vera: An Intimate Sketch, and
narrative shorts Shell, and Through the Door. She is in post-production of the documentary,
Then Comes the Glory, about famed ballet star, Rudolf Nureyev, and Black Russian, about
Black Americans moving to the Soviet Union in 1930s. In addition, she has written five short
scripts, two feature scripts and a two-act play. Demikovsky has produced two symposia about
Rudolf Nureyev - one in New York (1997), the other in St. Petersburg, Russia (1998). She
also contributed interviews and translations to four authors of Nureyev biographies.
Demikovsky has two masters degrees, one in theatre (Moscow, Russia), and another in video
(Boston, USA) and had taught theatre directing in Moscow.
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