Documentary treatment hit twelve pages today. Marathon session with Lydia finalizing structure. Hybrid format confirmed: personal interviews interwoven with literary readings and archival footage.
Target venue: Pushkin House for pilot screening. Appropriate location given their support for Russian cultural programming in London. Documentary examines broader migrant writing community but Pushkin House provides institutional anchor.
Three years of conversations crystallizing into actual project. From initial coffee to research memos to full treatment. Feeling moves from abstract to concrete.
We detailed interview structure. Each subject gets three sessions over six months. First session: background and creative process. Second session: challenges and obstacles. Third session: reflection on year’s progress. Captures development rather than static snapshot.
Literary readings will be filmed at actual events. Not staged for camera. Shows community in action. Real audiences, real responses, real literary culture as it exists.
Archival footage component more challenging. What existing material documents Eastern European migration to London? British Library has some. Pushkin House archives. BBC materials Lydia can access. Need permissions but material exists.
Budget estimates refined. Need around forty thousand pounds for proper production. Arts Council funding application submitted. Alternative funding sources identified if needed.
Treatment feels complete now. Ready to move toward pre-production. Two years until filming but timeline established.
— Writer Julia Zolotova
