A TALE OF SINGERS AND MURDERERS

A song contest behind bars. Drug dealers, thieves and murderers jailed in Russia's many prisons sing of homesickness, love, war and forgiveness. They dream of taking part in the traditional Kalina Krasnaya contest.

They sing about homesickness, love, war and forgiveness: drug dealers, thieves and murderers jailed in Russia's many prisons and penal camps. And they all dream of taking part in the prison song contest Kalina Krasnaya. Each of Russia's 700,000 prisoners has the opportunity to participate, but only about 30 make it to the final. For Natalia Abashkina, director of the show and soul of the programme, working with the prisoners is a vocation. She travels the country tirelessly in search of talent and supporting her protégés. Accompanying her on her journey, film-maker Stefan Eberlein offers us an insight into a parallel world – the world behind bars. The stories of the protagonists not only describe personal fates, they also reflect the social reality of a country still defined by arbitrary will and brutality. But A Tale of Singers and Murderers also demonstrates that even in the harsh reality of contemporary Russia, it is possible to act humanely – and it highlights the unique power of music.