Song
Cinema Inc.
Almaty (the old capital of the Rep. of Kazakstan ) based small documentary film and video
productions created by Korean film-maker
and writer Lavrenty Dedyunovitch SONG. In
1989, when in former Soviet Union appeared the
possibility to organize free productions
without governmental control and censor,
L.D. SONG created a creative union of writers,
film-makers and researchers called TUI I
YA (in Russian means YOU and ME) under the
umbrella of the Writers Union of the Rep.
of Kazakstan and he intensively produced
documentaries on repressed citizens of the
USSR and non- Russian minorities. Although
those films are very important evidence of
the free pictures of the end of the Perestroika
period, however commercially not successful.
In 1992, when the Republic of Kazakstan got
complete independence, Lavrenty SONG re-organized
TUI I YA and created his own family productions
Song Cinema Inc. He changed method of his
works and using small video equipment for
unique author film style. He is also coordinating
documentary film productions in Kazakstan
for foreign TV productions from Japan,
Germany, etc. Now major his works are available
through TokyoCinema in NTSC VHS for preview
and purchase.
Lavrenty Dedyunovitch SONG at TokyoCinema He co-postproduced his video documentary THE PRINCIPAL in 1999
Biography
1941
He was born as a son of the Koreans who deported
not by own will from Russian Far East to
Kazakstan and the Central Asia, at the small
collective farm near the town of USHTOBE,
Taldui-Kurgan Oblast', Rep. of Kazakstan.
1963
After engagement several profession, he entered
VGIK (All Union State Institute of Cinematography)
in Moscow and studied at the course for
scenarios. Here he met OKADA Kazuo who studied
at the directors course and he assisted
Kazuo's first practice film making.
1966
He graduated the diploma of scenarios at
VGIK and started professional works at Kazak
Film Studios in Alma-Ata as a scenarist for
future films.
1970
He started filming also as a film-director.
He entered both the Film Makers Union of
the USSR as well as the Writers Union of
the USSR.
1985
He was forced to resign the post at Kazak
Film Studios due to his liberal opinions.
He became a director and drama-writer at
The Republican State Korean Theatre
in Alma-Ata, only Korean theatre in the USSR
after 1937 deportation.
1986
Russian general monthly journal PROSTOR in
Alma-Ata published his auto-biographic novel
THE PLAZA OF TRIANGLES, the first ever published
literature touched on Korean deportation
in 1937.
1987
Moscow based famous weekly journal AGANYOK
mentioned THE PLAZA OF TRIANGLES and gave
high points.
1988
He edited the first ever anthology
of the Soviet Korean Writers written in
Russian FROM THE PAGES OF LUNAR CALENDAR
and published fro the SOVIET WRITERS PRESS
in Moscow. From his own work, he included
THE PLAZA of TRIANGLES.
1989
He started independent film studio TUI
I YA under the Kazakstan Union of Writers
and produced various documentaries on repressed
citizens and minorities in Soviet Empire.
1990
He participated the 3rd Paernu International Visual
Anthropology Festival in Estonia and there
met OKADA Kazuo after 23 years no connections.
1991
Together with TokyoCinema, he coordinated interviews
of Soviet politicians for the SUNDAY PROJECT,
a social information TV program by Tokyo
Asahi-TV and Osaka Asahi-Hosou TV
1992
He established Song Cinema as a succeeding company of Tui i Ya.
He invited and made lecture tour in Germany
and also in Japan. He made a lecture about
the temporally situation of Koreans in
former Soviet Union at the 30 years anniversary
international symposium of the Shimonaka
Memorial foundation organized by OKADA Kazuo
in Tokyo. His talk with Japanese Korean writer
LI Feng-Song was televised at GENDAI JOURNAL
of the educational channel of NHK and
introduced his documentary activities.In
Tokyo he obtained high-end Video High-8 camcorders
and editing equipment and started documentary
video productions on the society of Koreans
in the Central Asia.
1993
He organized an International seminar KOREAN
DIASPORA and ETHNIC SYMBION in Almaty and
visited Japan again and gave several lectures
in Tokyo, Kawasaki, Osaka and Kawaguchi.
1994
He coordinated several natural history
programs for NHK's THE GLOBAL FAMILY and
ETV Special REVIVAL OF THE ETHNIC MUSICS.
1996
He was appointed as the General Artistic
Manager of the State Korean Theatre from
the Ministry of Culture.
1997
He appointed the General Producer for
the 60 Years Anniversary of the Korean Deportation
to the Kazakstan. He wrote and staged the
commemorate play THE MEMORY.
1998
He directed and wrote the script of the official
documentary film of the presentation of the
transfer of the capital of the Kazakstan from
Almaty to Astana.
1999
He directed a documentary THE TEACHER OF
MUSIC and visited Tokyo for post production
of his documentary THE PRINCIPAL. He gave
lectures at University Wakoh, Tokyo University
and Hokkaido University Slavic Study
Center. He coordinated shooting of NHK ETV-SPECIAL
on Koreans in Central Asia and their return
to Russian Far-North.
2000
He coordinated DISCOVER THE ASIA for
NHK Fukuoka.
Contacts： in Japan TokyoCinema Inc. info@TokyoCinema.net
Song Cinema Inc. 34-64 Mametovoy Str., Almaty, Rep. of Kazakstan,
phn: +7-3272-326428
List of works which is available video copies in VHS NTSC as well as PAL via TokyoCinema
The World of Koryo-Salam (Koreans in former USSR)
KORYO-SALAM
A very unique video interview of Russian,
Ukrainian, Kazak, Chechen and Kurd who
speak Koreans even better than Koreans themselves
who lives in the city.
FRUNZE MEMORIAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM
A history of a Korean run state farm in Ushtobe
and how Korean people survived in Kazakstan
VISIT THE CEMETERY
A video essay of old Korean, KAN TeS a writer
who lonely lives in Kuzil Orda the bank of
Sil-Daria Riverr.
HAYAN NABI (The White Butterfly)
A document of musical group mainly organized
Korean children.
THE TEACHER OF MUSIC
The commemorative video of a Jewish
musician Ilia TEITERBAUM who taught music
to Korean kids in the Bolshevik Korean
Collective Farm nearby Tashkent, Uzbekistan
and his life after his liberation. How he
worked in Minsk and died. English Narrated
version is available.
THE PRINCIPAL
The survival of Korean Teacher in the newly
Independent Uzbekistan. English sub titled
version in Betacam is available
OFFICIAL PRESENTATION OF THE VASK
In Moscow, March 1991, the first and the
last time, the nation wide organization of
Soviet Koreans was held their presentation
meeting.
Northern Minorities
LABUN MEDENU -The Land of Vadurs-
A report of Vadur or Yukagir of Siberian
Far-North, only remain several hundreds souls.
ESCAPERS FROM KAGARMA
West-Siberian nomads, Khanty is suffering
with oil industry destroyed their traditionally
lived taiga
.
THE LAST STAGE
The Nivkh people in Sakhalin island
is now in extinction. Film reports how those
people think themselves on this situation.
THE LOST BOOK
Very sad story of Oroch people in Russian
Far East, who is now disappearing. Even they
are remaining in the Russian Passport, their
culture itself was vanished...
Minorities in Kazakstan and Central
Asia
THE WONDERERS
The situation of Soviet Germans in Perestroika
Period. How they repressed in the heaven
of working class and internationalism.
SEEKERS OF THE WHITE WATER LAND
A beautiful story of Russian Old Believers
live in Altai mountains of the east Kazakstan.
THE SAGA OF THE LAKE BALKHASH
A movie essay of a Swedish old man who deported to
the lake shores of Balkhash and not
returned home after his liberation.
THE TURKISH WEDDING Meskhetian Turks
who were deported from Georgia to the Central
Asia was a victim of Ethnic trouble in Fergana,
Uzbekistan. Here intercuts the happy wedding rituals
traditionally held in Turkish community
and ethnic troubles and several interview
how meskhetians feeling about themselves.