You and I | |
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Directed by | Roland Joffé |
Produced by | Stephen Nemeth Leonid Minkovski Sergey Konov[1] |
Written by | Aleksey Mitrofanov Shawn Schepps Luke Goltz |
Starring | Mischa Barton Shantel VanSanten Anton Yelchin Yulia Volkova Lena Katina |
Music by | t.A.T.u. |
Cinematography | Philip Robertson |
Editing by | Richard Nord |
Distributed by | Russian American Movie Company |
Release date(s) | Russia: 3 February 2011 USA: 31 January 2012 |
Running time | 100 minutes |
Country | Russia, United States[2] |
Language | English[3] |
Budget | $12 million[4] |
You and I (Russian: Ты и я; also known by its working title, Finding t.A.T.u.)[1] is a 2011 drama-film directed by Roland Joffé, depicting a fictionalised version of real events[3] adapted from the novel t.A.T.u. Come Back. The film features Mischa Barton, Shantel VanSanten, Julia Volkova and Lena Katina. It is about a young girl, Lana, who moves from the provinces to Moscow, not having in mind that meeting a virtual girlfriend, Jenny, will result in a string of adventures. Indeed, in the capital at night, among the clubs and parties, all things are possible, to become a fascinating model, or wake up in the morning a popular singer. But the main thing was to find her true and only love.[5] Casting and filming began in May 2007, and it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008. The film's dvd release in the USA will be January 31, 2012.
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The film is about Janie Sawyer, a friendless lesbian American teenager who lives in Moscow. The story follows Janie trying to escape her lonely life in Moscow through her love of music. Sawyer meets Lana Starkova on a fansite for the pop-band t.A.T.u. Trapped in a provincial Russian town, Starkova is desperate to flee her mundane life and the two girls develop an instant connection. The two girls adapt a poem by Starkova into a song and post it on the internet. t.A.T.u.'s manager hears news of the song, and contacts the girls hoping they will allow t.A.T.u. to record the song. Sawyer and Starkova's relationship then becomes the catalyst for a series of adventures.[6]
The film was first announced in October 2006 by Yulia Volkova during a press conference in Paris, who said at the time: "The script has already been written and now some questions on shooting are being considered."
Aleksey Mitrofanov, the author of the novel on which the film is based, is playing a large part in the production of the film, as are t.A.T.u. The group will not be playing Janie and Lana in the film, but will play themselves.[3]
Mitrofanov has mentioned that in selecting a director, they looked for one who knew the international market well, as they planned to release the film internationally.[3] They turned to American production companies, and an English director, Roland Joffé, was chosen. It was filmed in Moscow (stage nine of the Mosfilm building),[7] Yaroslavl, and in Los Angeles, California;[1] the story is based in Russia, mainly Moscow.[8]
Filming was scheduled to end on 14 August, and editing began soon after. The film premiered at the 61st Cannes Film Festival in May 2008.
Mischa Barton was a no-show at the Cannes premiere of the film and didn't show up for promotion in London. The director, Roland Joffé, told BBC Radio 1 host Natalie Jamieson: "She hasn't pulled out of interviews, she's pulled out of everything... Her room is here, she is here, but trying to get the two together has just been impossible. We just don't know where Mischa is."[9]
In a June 2009 interview with the Mail on Sunday, Barton dispelled previous claims that she was dissatisfied with the project. She remarked, "I did a film about t.A.T.u., the Russian girl band, and that was interesting. This whole corrupt Russian music industry formed this fake-lesbian band. It's an odd story, but a fascinating one."[10]
On 25 January, 2011 You And I premiered in Moscow, Russia. Mischa Barton, the lead actress of the film, had appeared at the premiere alongside t.A.T.u.. The other lead, Shantel VanSanten, was reported not to have appeared at the Moscow premiere.[11]
On 31 January, 2012 the dvd of You And I will be released in the USA
t.A.T.u. has stated the movie will be very scandalous, and would not deal with the "love and roses" often found in films, but the real scandal and hardships that come along with relationships.[6]
On 16 October 2007, the official t.A.T.u. blog released a preview featuring clips from the film.
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