Introducing Misha Maslennikov — an active member of NCU since the first year of formation of the association of independent documentary photographers. Having received an art and architectural education in the 80s, he only picked up a camera for the first time in the early noughties, when he turned 40. At that time, Misha received theological education and travelled extensively in the Russian countryside. Along with his love for the way of life of people in hard-to-reach places came a love for photography and documenting the existential existence of the characters in his stories.
Kolodozero: Call of the Heart
Misha’s first series on the NCU Kolodozero: Call of the Heart, is a replica to the drastic changes in the life of the Karelian village of Pogost, previously filmed by his friends and colleagues. The heroes of Maslennikov’s story are enthusiasts reviving a provincial northern village, working together to build a wooden church to replace the destroyed one, using the original drawings that have been preserved, and creating the conditions for a new life for both the locals and all those who are not indifferent to the fate of the village and who have come from megacities.