Russian director’s tale of Holocaust dog’s ordeal longlisted for Oscar
‘Brutus’ by Konstantin Fam is the 2nd part of the ‘Witnesses’ trilogy
The short film Brutus by Konstantin Fam has been included in the longlist for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, the press service of the cinema company Russian Film Group has reported.
Brutus is the second part of the trilogy Witnesses, a full length project consisting of three short stories dedicated to the memory of Holocaust victims. Source: "Киноальманах "Свидетели"/YouTube
Brutus is the second part of the trilogy Witnesses, a full length project consisting of three short stories dedicated to the memory of Holocaust victims. The first part, Shoes, came out in 2012 and was also nominated for an Oscar.
The film continues with the trilogy’s concept and bears witness to the catastrophe through the story of a German Shepherd called Brutus. The Nuremburg Laws separate the dog from his beloved mistress, and following a process of training and manipulation Brutus becomes a killing beast at a concentration camp. The film is based on the eponymous story by the Czech writer Ludvik Ashkenazy.
Filming took place in Romania, Russia and Belarus. The main roles are played by the Russian actors Oksana Fandera, Filipp Yankovsky, Vladimir Koshevoi and Anna Churina.