About this Event
CHEMIAKINE. A FILM SPANNING 36 YEARS…
He refused to surrender his imagination.
Painter, sculptor and theatre designer Mikhail Chemiakine emerged from the artistic underground of Leningrad to build an international career. His distinctive world of fantastical figures, masks and sculptural forms grew from a life marked by persecution, exile and an uncompromising pursuit of artistic freedom.
Expelled from the Soviet Union in 1971, he settled in Paris before moving to New York. Alongside his own work, he championed fellow nonconformist artists and writers, helping preserve voices that official culture had tried to silence. His close friendship with singer and poet Vladimir Vysotsky became an important part of that commitment.
But how do you capture a life that refuses to stand still?
Filmed across 36 years, Anatoly Balchev’s documentary follows the artist through changing countries, friendships and historical upheavals. His art, his relationships with figures including Vysotsky and Joseph Brodsky, and his return to a transformed homeland become part of a larger story about memory, belonging and the price of independence.
For art lovers, documentary enthusiasts and anyone drawn to lives lived on their own terms, this is an opportunity to encounter the person behind an unmistakable artistic world.
IN COMPETITION AT SIFFA 2026
Discover Chemiakine. A Film Spanning 36 Years… as part of the SIFFA 2026 documentary competition.
The screening includes an introduction by director Anatoly Balchev.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Anatoly Balchev is a composer, screenwriter and film director who began his cinema career in music. His documentary work includes Vysotsky… Odessa Notebook, exploring the life and legacy of the celebrated singer and poet.
In Chemiakine, his commitment to filming across 36 years allows a portrait to unfold through time - tracing an artist’s life against the history changing around him.
SCREENING DETAILS
Saturday 21 November 2026
5:00 pm–7:30 pm
Vue London Piccadilly · Screen 1
19 Lower Regent Street, London SW1Y 4LR
Director: Anatoly Balchev
Running time: 134 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Includes a director’s introduction
Book your seat and encounter an artist whose imagination crossed every border imposed on his life.
Event venue & nearby stays
Vue London Piccadilly, 19 Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
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