LESBIRU.COM :: “Tasty Bits”: Russian lesbians are going to Hollywood.

english >>

“Tasty Bits”: Russian lesbians are going to Hollywood.

LesbiRu.com proudly presents the premiere of the first Russian lesbian comedy “Tasty Bits”.
Sneak preview >>>

The Plot

Once upon a time, right in the heart of Russia, there was a cute little jazz station.
The station’s young and perky staff was happy to share their passion for freedom, jazz and each other. Julia, the informal leader of the gang, is the station’s creative director - sexy daredevil who’s bright, ambitious and openly gay. She and her trusty sidekick Roman daily rouse up the airwaves with their quick and edgy show “Tasty Bits”, where they mix funky tunes with snappy banter.
Julia’s love life is more about sex, than love, but a chance meeting with Tanya at a friend’s birthday party deals a powerful blow to her hardened exterior. The girls’ mutual attraction is instant, their repartees are slick and their nights are steamy. Julia tries to keep her cool, but her recovered spunk is a dead giveaway that this new relationship makes her as happy as a clam.
The day Julia and Tanya stumble upon Tanya’s ex-boyfriend Mikhail brings everybody down from cloud nine. Mikhail is a slightly neurotic small-time gangster who’s dying to be like his boss, a mega-mafioso with a chain of casinos under his wing. He loses out to Julia in the competition for Tanya’s attention, but decides to swallow his pride and recruit her help for a business scam.
Mikhail tells Julia that Moscow’s government mafia is trying to gain control over the local business and media, and that in the ensuing war for power her radio station and his boss’s casinos would be the first ones to go. He offers her a choice: she can either watch her station sell out or she can use her media standing to prevent a hostile takeover. Unwilling to be pushed aside by the high and the mighty, Julia accepts the deal and enters the shady scheme to discredit the station and its potential buyers in each other’s eyes. Her gutsy decision sets off a mad race full of sensitive gangsters, business-minded prostitutes, and neurotic businessmen – all part of a bumpy ride towards self-discovery and personal freedom.
“Tasty Bits” is a musical adventure comedy about finding the taste for life and freedom. Its characters are intelligent, creative, life-hungry young people, who are ready to risk everything for the right to stay free.

The Stars

Nizhny Novgorod – an ancient jewel of Russian history, a beautiful city hugged by two legendary rivers, Volga and Oka. It has its own Kremlin – the residence of the local government.
Julia: Julia Muranova – one of the leading dramatic actresses in Nizhny. Her character captures attention from the first moment she’s on screen and doesn’t let go until the end. Julia Muranova’s tremendous acting range spins from Chekhov’s heroines to Mrs. Clause. What’s more, she’s a programming director of a real local radio station. Also, Ms. Muranova lent her sultry vocals to the film’s musical centerpiece “Whiskey.”
Tanya: Tatiana Alyokhina – a non-professional actress baring a striking resemblance to Jennifer Tilly (“Bound,” “Bullets Over Broadway,” “Liar Liar”). She’s also worked at the radio station in addition to her experience as an exotic dancer – a skill she brilliantly demonstrates in the movie.
Roman: Roman Erykalov – a professional actor and a talented poet with extensive radio experience and quite a gift for comic striptease.
Ptizza: Eugene Afraimovich – composer, sound editor and a radio veteran.

The Premiere

The movie house, in spite of scanty advertising, is packed. What’s amazing is the practical absence of the “queer” factor in the audience. The crowd looks pretty regular, with married couples, young and not very much so, some seniors and even kids. The turnout is amazing considering that initially the director was reluctant about a theatrical premiere and gave in to her friends’ persuasions at the last minute.
To call “Tasty Bits” a success would be an understatement. The hour and a half of gripping action flies by at a breathtaking pace without a single faulty moment.
Unexpected plot twists, bold camera work, jokes that are destined to become classic and arresting musical numbers make the experience more than worthwhile.
“Tasty Bits” is Sasha Valenti’s first independent commercial project that she’s written, directed and produced on a shoestring budget with just four crew members.

Q. Sasha, in this film you’ve worked on the script, production, post-production, you've written and performed some of the songs on the soundtrack... am I forgetting anything?
Sasha Valenti: (laughs) It’s easier to say what I didn’t do. Some of the scenes were shot in my apartment, the actresses wear my clothes, I’m doing dishes after them… This is completely unnecessary for the making of young director, but it’s just something I had to do. I remember screaming on the set, “I’m a woman, not a serf!”
The script went through many rewrites. Gradually I shifted the accent from the two girls – Julia and Tanya – to the screwball action and the overall farcical energy of the movie. My main focus was to show truly free spirits that won’t be contained by anybody else’s boundaries.

Eugene Afraimovich – composer:
- I think this movie is only partially about two women in love. Mainly, it’s about free, easygoing people that aren’t afraid to stand up for their beliefs, to risk everything not for money, but for preserving their integrity.

The Lesbians

Being a lesbian magazine, we couldn’t pass on judging the “reality” of the first-ever lesbian couple in Russian cinema. We have to say that even though the movie could use more erotic scenes, the relationship itself is portrayed with utmost sincerity and depth.

Julia Muranova: I guess I’m in a love-hate relationship with my character in this film. But at the premiere I’ve noticed that the audience’s reaction to her, especially women’s reaction, was 100% positive.
Q. Were you ever in a lesbian relationship?
Julia Muranova: You know, I wouldn’t treat this kind of a relationship as something extraordinary. You relate to the person, not the sex. And it’s something I, as an actress, was really interested in showing.
Q. The lesbian relationship between two main characters in the movie is never exploited or underscored, it’s shown as a common fact, something completely natural. This is definitely an audacious and fresh step for the Russian cinema. Are you afraid you’d become a lesbian sex symbol in Russia?
Julia Muranova: (laughs) Not at all! My acting teacher always told me, “You have to make the audience want you, regardless of their age or sex.” Being an actor is primarily an emotional state, not a sexual predilection. Playing Julia in “Tasty Bits” gave me a lot, since that was exactly what the director wanted me to show.
Q. You really don’t look like a lesbian, yet you’re very convincing in playing one.
Your gestures, voice tone, attitude show those nuanced yet telling sings of a gay woman. Where did that come from?
Julia Muranova: Oh, Sasha’s been on my case about that all the time! She kept worrying that nobody would buy me a lesbian. She gave me good pointers, and, if there was anything to provoke in me for the role, she did just that. Of course, she wanted me to cut my hair, but that’s where I drew the line – after all, I have play princesses at the theatre (laughs).

Tatiana Alyokhina: I got into this movie completely by chance. I had no acting experience, but I have years of dancing, even exotic dancing behind me, and initially that got me an audition for an episode in “Tasty Bits”. Soon after Sasha rewrote the script with me as one of the main characters.
Q. Did anything in the script scare you?
Tatiana Alyokhina: I’ve never read the entire script. Sasha gave me my part and kept fingers crossed I don’t forget the lines.
Q. How did you feel about shooting the sex scenes?
Tatiana Alyokhina: I don’t remember feeling erotic, but I remember being exhausted. Most of the time I was just worried about looking good. I think I owe a lot to Sasha for making me feel relaxed in front of the camera.
Q. What do you find attractive in a woman?
Tatiana Alyokhina: Beauty, freedom, character, inner strength.
Q. How did you like the movie?
Tatiana Alyokhina: It’s hard for me to be objective since I’m in it, but I really liked it. I liked the acting, the music, the weird energy.

Eugene Afraimovich: I don’t know the future of the actors in this film, but I’m absolutely positive that Taniana’s performance in it will land her another acting offers. She’s dead-on and breathtaking throughout the picture, especially in the scene where Julia tells her, “I’m not drinking your blood yet,” and Tanya replies with such feminine abandon, “Drink. It’s on me.” “Tasty Bits” is full of such powerful and memorable moments, and Tanya’s performance is one of them.

Q. Sasha, you already mentioned that “Lesbians equal box office”…
Sasha Valenti: That’s a crude way of saying that the presence of a beautiful lesbian couple in any movie is definitely an audience pull. I didn’t include gay characters in the film just to follow the current trend or to exploit the subject. I just thought that a fresh and sincere look at a lesbian relationship is long overdue in Russian cinema. Nevertheless, I’m pretty sure that the phrase “Russian lesbians” would have to be the starting point of any ad campaign for “Tasty Bits.”

The Music

Eugene Afraimovich, composer: The song “Whiskey” has a quaint story behind it.
I wrote it about Julia Muranova’s cat while being in the shower and when I sang it to Sasha, I tried to copy Julia’s voice and mannerisms. Sasha flipped and said that I wrote a lesbian anthem. For the movie version of this song I was thrilled to work with a real strings quartet – something I rarely get to do as I mostly work with electronic music. Actually, working on the music for “Tasty Bits” really gave me a chance to spread my wings. Sasha and I wrote very diverse songs for the soundtrack. There’s “Hallelujah”- a darkly seductive mid-tempo groove that’s hard to categorize. Then, there’s the positively irresistible hit “I’ll Be Water.” It’s got playfulness, drive and beautiful lyrics about the flexibility of human nature, especially in regards to love.
Q. What was the hardest thing about scoring this film?
Eugene Afraimovich: Sasha wouldn’t cut me any slack, not even with background music. She wanted for every little piece to have an individual character, easily identifiable. I was afraid it would distract the viewer from the action, but she turned
out to be right: practically every major character or recurrent theme in the movie has a musical leitmotiv that enriches the action.
Q. You, being the director’s brother, probably new about her movie plans earlier than anyone else?
Eugene Afraimovich: (Laughs) Well, she didn’t ask for my blessings, if that’s what you mean. She took a great risk, and I’m still amazed it all worked out. I’ve worked for television since 1994 and I know plenty of local directors that over the years nourished the dream to do what Sasha did – to shoot a low-budget feature in Nizhny. Yet, no one, even with sufficient funds has ever pulled that off before her.
Q. Who wrote the lyrics for the songs?
Eugene Afraimovich: English lyrics are Sasha’s, Russian ones are mine.
Q. What are you wishes for “Tasty Bits”?
Eugene Afraimovich: I think this film deserves a broad audience and I’d love for people to get the subtext of the movie, not just go for the obvious flashy stuff like lesbian sex. “Tasty Bits” is full of humor and understated satire, yet it touches upon some very serious issues. I guess I’m a bit idealistic, but I want everyone to love this movie, regardless of what they fell for in the advertising – comedy, lesbians, erotica, mafia or music.

The Future

Q. Will Russian audience ever see “Tasty Bits” after this premiere?
Sasha Valenti: I very much hope so. I really believe the Russian audience will respond to “Tasty Bits" and I hope the movie will eventually enjoy a widespread exposure in our country. Yet, right now I’m taking it abroad with the intent of selling the distribution rights to as many territories as possible. I really want to be covered by a foreign, preferably American distribution company since I don’t have a lot of trust in the Russian ones at the moment.
Q. What do you want Americans to get out of your movie?
Sasha Valenti: Primarily, I want to break the stale stereotypes about Russia and its cinema. I want to show Russian people as lively and energetic, not some sullen, tragic figures perpetually beaten by life. Most of the films that nowadays become Russian exports are either historical epics or criminal sagas with the occasional cute doe-eyed children thrown in for good measure. They provide beautiful pictures for larger-than-life stories, yet avoid dealing with the people or today’s issues in the Russian society. I attempt to show the peculiar present mindset of Russian people, especially young ones, who are, much like the country itself, struggling through the painful transition from barbaric, ideologically-laden past to the civilized democratic future. They enter the responsibility of becoming free individuals and they’re left to their own means to preserve their personal integrity and whatever freedoms they are lucky to achieve. I’m very fortunate to know people like that and their courage and hunger for life is my constant inspiration.

Official website: http://www.tastybits-themovie.com

return