REVIEWS
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian - 2nd May '08
Rated top film to see on release in UK
“The documentary is alive and well. As compelling as it is touching….a gripping documentary.”
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Philip French, The Observer - 4th May '08
“A fascinating documentary….a riveting film about a remarkable man”
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the full review
Derek Malcolm, The Evening Standard - 2nd May '08
“Stuart Urban’s skilfullly patched together film ….proves (Garri Urban’s) life seemed to triumph over everything.”
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Catherine Shoard, The Sunday Telegraph - 4th May '08
“wholly absorbing documentary…fascinating narrative….really grips”
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Karl French, The Financial Times - 1st May '08
“Impressive….memorable….heart-rending”.
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Wendy Ide, The Times - 1st May '08
“A fascinating portrait of a charismatic personality”.
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Gerald Aaron, The Jewish Chronicle - 1st May '08
“Deeply affecting ….superb documentary….unmissable”.
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Allan Hunter, The Daily Express - 2nd May '08
“A poignant documentary…a compelling account of one man’s extraordinary family histoy”
David Parkinson, Empire Magazine - May '08
“An intriguing investigation…genuinely moving”
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Edward Lawrenson, The Big Issue Magazine - May '08
“Poignant, affectionate portrait of a remarkable character.”
Wally Hammond, Time Out - 1st May '08
“Fascinating. Compelling”
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James MacLeish, Channel 4 Film - May '08
“Profoundly moving, deeply compelling…a fascinating, moving documentary, brimful of twists and tragedies.”
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The Radio Times - May '08
“A fascinating insight.”
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Alison Rowat, The Herald - 22nd May '08
“An extraordinary and moving tale.”
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Tom Dawson, The List - 22nd May '08
“an absorbing and moving tale”
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SIGNIS - May '08
“Very interesting.”
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The First Post - 1st May '08
“A remarkable tale.”
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Laurshka Ivan-Zadeh, Metro - 2nd May '08
“Highly affecting”
Nev Pierce, BBC Movies - Reviews - 26th April '08
“Intriguing…arresting.”
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Robert Hanks, The Independent - 2nd May '08
“It’s engaging both as a portrait of the turbulence of life in the 20th century, and of the difficulty of being a father or a son.”
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Geoffrey Macnab, Screen International - 25th Sept '07
"Stuart Urban's rich and affecting documentary about a survivor of the Soviet Gulags is a real-life story with as many twists as a Cold War espionage novel."
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FEATURES
The Sunday Times - 18th May '08
Stuart Urban writes for The Sunday Times.
Click here to read the feature
BBC Radio London – 1st May '08
Jason Solomons interviews Stuart Urban
The Guardian – 1st May '08
Article by Stuart Urban on how he got the film into cinemas himself
Click here to read full article
The Jewish Chronicle - 24th April '08
"Travels with my Father the spy."
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Jerusalem Post - 5th Dec '07
"Sometimes people hear about Tovarisch and 'they say, 'Not another Holocaust film.' Then they are amazed, it is not a catalog of massacres and suffering. It is as much about triumph and the strength of personality.'
The film is 'a testament, but not an unquestioning testament to what my father endured and survived'."
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ARCHIVE PRESS COVERAGE
One World UK - 28th April '08
"It gives a human face to some of the seismic events of the mid-20th century."
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Jewish Telegraph - 27th April '08
"Dad's Holocaust Story is Urban Legend."
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British Film Magazine - 1st April '08
"The bravery of generations past never ceases to astound and this British documentary adds another stunning history to the record.."
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Raindance Interview - 20th November '07
James Mullighan, Creative Director of Shooting People, conducts the Q&A with me which you can see in podcast form here – scroll down for various items on the film and its Raindance Q&A .
Click here to view the podcast
The Jewish Chronicle - 24th Jan '08
"One thing not to miss..."
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Shooting People Interview -1st November '07
"The [film] travels in some very dangerous places, being arrested by secret police, uncovering many very dark places and even darker deeds that happened in them. It is a life that raises almost as many questions as it answers, about the hidden worlds of cross-border traffic and international espionage during the Second World War and the Cold War, that may well continue to this very day."
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Read the Full Interview: http://shootingpeople.org/
Directors Notes Interview - LISTEN NOW - 28th October '07
Hour long audio interview with Stuart Urban, director of Tovarisch I am Not Dead, about the film and his unique childhood in filmmaking.
Listen to Full Interview: http://www.directorsnotes.com/
Britfilms Review - 26th Sept '07
"A genuinely emotional and fascinating insight into one extraordinary and feisty modern day hero, this is without doubt one to put on your ‘to watch’ list."
View Full Review: http://www.britfilms.tv/
Screen International Review - 25th Sept '07
"Stuart Urban's rich and affecting documentary about a survivor of the Soviet Gulags is a real-life story with as many twists as a Cold War espionage novel."
"Garri’s reunion with Noka - his lover 50 years before - plays like something out of Dr Zhivago... (an) extraordinary story."
View Full Review: http://www.screendaily.com/
Orlando Sentinel **** Review - 21st Sept '07
"British filmmaker Stuart Urban's documentary is about uncovering the truth about who exactly his dapper, swaggering, colorful Holocaust- and gulag-surviving father was. A past full of contradictions (Urban interviewed his dad extensively and didn't get straight answers), startling revelations and lingering mysteries fill this fascinating family portrait of a life lived in struggle and strife."
View Full Review: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Raindance Best Documentary Nomination – Citation - 10th Sept '07
"It is the theme of survival, rather than defeat, under oppression which makes this documentary inspiring, hopeful and therefore vital as a social lesson. This is a compelling documentary on many levels and is indicative of the future of documentary-making."
View Full Review: http://www.raindance.co.uk/