Film by native of Tajikistan nominated for Oscar

Oscar-nominee Daria Kashcheyeva is still at film school but has her sights set on winning an Academy Award for a short animated film, which she says is all about family values and forgiveness, according to Radio Liberty.

The film is reflection on one girl’s difficult relationship with her father.

The film is about family values and how important it is to maintain relationships between parents and children and to forgive each other.

The film uses handheld camera techniques to create a sense of immediacy.  It was made as part of Kashcheyeva’s studies at the Prague film school, FAMU.

She basically made all the sets herself.  First they were made of wood, then covered with papier-mâché.

The film is partially autobiographical.  Kashcheyeva has dedicated it to her parents, who underwent a difficult move to Russia in the 1990s to escape unrest in their native Tajikistan.

“My grandfather, my dad’s father, was musician.  He played double bass at the Dushanbe Opera and Ballet Theater and also was a violin maker.   But when I was 4-year-old we were forced to leave Dushanbe.  We moved to Valdai, a small town between Moscow and St. Petersburg,” Daria told Radio Liberty in an interview.             

Kashcheyeva’s trip to the Academy Awards ceremony will not be her first time in Hollywood as her film won a Student Oscar last year.

She says she enjoyed her first taste of red-carpet glamour but has no desire for a permanent move.  Kashcheyeva moved to Prague five years ago and intends to stay.   

“It was really great that I went to the Student Oscar ad to all events they organized.  I talked to American students and learned what [film] graduates in America are thinking, what their options are.  I learned that for animators who have finished their studies in America and want to stay there, the best they can hope for is to work as an animator at a studio like Disney or Pixar.  There is no chance for them to make their own films.”     

Kashcheyeva worked for a year and a half on Daughter (Dcera).  She believes there is a trend away  from computer-generated graphics, back to traditional animation techniques.      

On February 9, she’ll hope that helps her take home a golden statue.