WAR AND CHEESE

I believe a dialogue of cultures can lead to the creation of pathways for people to understand and appreciate qualities of cultures which are different to their own. In my work, I enjoy the challenge of finding the balance between the specific and the universal. I try to tell stories which join the dots between the two. I am interested in how we can begin to relate to the more unfamiliar aspects of a culture that is different to our own by engaging with the human needs and desires of the people from that culture.

As somebody from the UK who had not previously visited Russia, I approached the film with humility about my ignorance on the subject, as well as curiosity and respect. The film's producer, Russian native Andrey Kurganov, helped me to understand important aspects about the culture while also enabling the project from a practical perspective. Being a cultural outsider helped me to tell a particular account of the story that I would not have been able to achieve otherwise. In this respect, I owe a debt to both my initial ignorance and also to Andrey and the film's cinematographer Danny Salkhov for sharing their insights with me and helping develop the perspective which manifests in the film.