Trottoirs de Paris

Artist Mihail Chemiakin photographs discarded paper, dead leaves, cigarette butts, spots of paint, cracks, traces of dog urine, plantain tree bark, and spots on the wall in nocturnal Paris, then draws with pastel and ink on matte prints of the photographs, creating a tremendous range of imagery. Thus inventing a new technique in drawing and a new and totally unexpected view of the riches hidden in the humble, ignored world under our feet. Trottoirs de Paris documents the artists method in wordless, hypnotizing narrative style, following Chemiakin through Paris, on bicycle rides in central France and walks in the woods, then back to the studio. Some of the films most arresting sequences are those that demonstrate the transformation of trash and dirt into fantastic characters and dramatic scenes. Director, editor Andrei Zagdansky, DoP Vladimir Guyevsky, sound Borys Peter