Kogda ja vyigrau million

(If I Win a Million)
by Anna Dranitsina
23', Betacam SP, Russia, 2008

The republic of Altaj is transforming into the Las Vegas of Russia. Young Dimon wants to go into the slot-machine business. With his van he reaches towns in the uplands of the Altaj to install these machines in bars and stores. The curiosity of those who hope to win “a million” and thus realize all their dreams is contrasted by the suspiciousness of those who, with the arrival of these machines, see the spirit and lifestyle of these mountains broken. The people up there are very attached to their traditions and resistant to change. Many take a dim view of the arrival of habits that break with the antique customs of these places and bring with them the frenzy and false hopes of Western consumerism.

Anna Dranitsina
After earning a degree from the Institute of Cinema and Television, Saint Petersburg, she worked as a director’s assistant and television reporter and then as a journalist and photographer for various Russian magazines. Since 2003 she has worked as both writer and director in the realization of documentaries.