The Pencil | Prostoy karandash

Antonina, an artist from Saint Petersburg, follows her husband Sergey - a celebrated artist and political prisoner - to the deep north province of Russia. She starts teaching art in a local school and is determined to lift the spirit of the downtrodden children in her class. But Antonina soon finds herself in confrontation with a twelve-year-old boy, Misha, whose brother is a feared local gang leader.

Natalya Nazarova, an acting teacher, presents an entertaining and thought provoking film about the unseen drama of a teacher's job. Her film artfully combines the aesthetics of a thriller with pointed social commentary artfully.

Filmography: The Daughter (2012).

Video talk with the dorector