The Desert Of Forbidden Art November 18, 2010

THE DESERT OF FORBIDDEN ART, 2010, 80 min. Dirs. Tchavdar Georgiev, Amanda Pope. During the Soviet rule, artists who stayed true to their vision were executed or sent to mental hospitals or gulags. Their plight inspired young Igor Savitsky, who pretended to buy state-approved art but instead rescued 40,000 works by forbidden artists and created a museum in the desert of Uzbekistan, far from the watchful eyes of the KGB. Intercut with recollections of the artists' children and rare archival footage, and voiced by Ben Kingsley, Sally Field and Ed Asner, this documentary takes us on a dramatic journey of sacrifice for the sake of creative freedom.

Discussion following the film with directors Tchavdar Georgiev and Amanda Pope.
Trailer