The Tribe

Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy : 2014
Plemya

Deaf-mute Sergey enters a specialised boarding school for deaf-and-dumb. In this new place, he needs to find his way through the hierarchy of the school's network dealing with crime and prostitution, The Tribe. By taking part in several robberies, he gets propelled higher into the organisation. Then he meets one of the Chief's concubines Anna, and unwillingly breaks all the unwritten rules of the tribe, putting him in a situation from which there is no escape. Communicating with the viewer exclusively through sign language, the director explains: "For me, the main goal was to make a more realistic, natural silent film, which would be easily understood without words. Sign language is like a dance, ballet, pantomime, kabuki theatre, etc. At the same time, there's no grotesque in it – people are communicating that way for real." Visionary filmmaker Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy's outstanding feature debut was the winner of three prizes, including the Grand Prix, when it premiered at Semaine de la Critique du Festival de Cannes 2014. His film screened in the Special Events section at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2014.