Domino Effect

Synopsis

Abkhazia is a forgotten war torn country close to Crimea-Ukraine. Perched on the shores of the Black Sea, the unrecognized splinter state used to be a beach getaway for lucky Soviets, but palatial hotels now sit in post-communist ruin. For Abkhazian Sports Minister Rafael, however, everything’s looking up. He’s hopeful that the mysterious Domino World Championship he’s organizing will finally put his beloved motherland on the world’s radar and madly in love, he’s willing to overlook that his dear wife is a foreigner. A proud Russian opera singer, Natasha gave up her home and custody of her Russian daughter to take a chance on a new life. But when locals won’t warm to her and troubles cloud Rafael’s “sports” event, their bright future and even national pride start to wobble. From the Oscar nominated team of “Rabbit à la Berlin” comes a visually stunning Black Sea black comedy - giving us a profound look at life under Russia’s spell.

Director Biography

Elwira Niewiera, lives and works in Berlin. Elwira is a Polish director and researcher. Her feature documentary debut, Bulgarian Stories was presented at a number of international film festivals and had art-house cinema distribution in Germany. Elwira worked also as first assistant director and researcher on the Academy Award nominated documentary Rabbit à la Berlin. Since 2008 she is Executive Director of the Polish-German cultural foundation Nowa Ameryka.
Piotr Rosołowski lives and works in Berlin and Warsaw. Graduated as a cinematographer from the Katowice Film School. Awarded with a scholarship of the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. Co-director of the documentary The Art of Disappearing (premiere at Visions du Réel 2013), co-author of Rabbit à la Berlin – Academy Award nominated short documentary film. Director of Photography of many awarded feature and short films, among them: On the line dir. Reto Caffi – Academy Award nominated short fiction and “Nowhere in Europe“dir. Kerstin Nickig – main prize at the Sarajevo Human Rights Film Festival. He was a participant of European Film Academy Master Class 2006, Ex Oriente Film 2005 and Documentary Campus 2007.