On September 22, 2001, the day the memorial sculpture was unveiled, two documentary videos on Igor were screened at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge. Both videos were incomplete at the time, but they were complete enough that the filmmakers allowed them to be shown.

One film, The Story of Fenist by Yelena Demikovsky, won Best Documentary/Director Debut at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival (December 2001). Yelena is donating all proceeds from sale of the film to Igor's wife and three children. To learn more about the film, visit Red Palette Pictures. To learn more about Igor's family, visit their new website, www.igorfokinfamily.org.

The other film was by Chris Schmidt and Gary Henoch. This film was finally completed in 2003 and has been shown at numerous film festivals as well as on WGBH, Boston's PBS station. As of February 28, 2005, this video/DVD is available for purchase. For more information, see below or visit their web site.

The Puppeteer
A film by Chris Schmidt and Gary Henoch

The Puppeteer is a magical film about Igor Fokin, an extraordinarily talented artist and street performer. Igor captivates the imagination of both children and adults with a simple tilt of the wrist and flick of a finger.  He was trained in his native St. Petersburg by the last surviving Master of the pre-Revolutionary Russian Marionette Theater. In 1994, Igor left the stifling confines of the former Soviet Union to pursue his passion in America.

Igor assembles his menagerie of fanciful wooden characters on a street corner in Harvard Square and delights audiences by breathing life into his creations.  He truly believes that each of his hand-crafted puppets has it's own unique character and the strings serve only to stop them from running away.

The Puppeteer is a powerful, moving glimpse into the art of puppetry and the passion of a brilliant artist. The film treats the viewer to Igor's street corner magic and, following a dramatic turn of events, leaves us to reflect on life, art and the pursuit of dreams.

Running Time: 32 Minutes – English and Russian w/ subtitles
Price: $24.95 (Free Shipping)
To order this DVD, please visit: http://puppeteermovie.com

A screenshot from The Puppeteer:

The Story of Fenist (In memory of Igor Fokin)
A film by Yelena Demikovsky

This award-winning documentary tells the story of the great Russian puppeteer Igor Fokin who entranced children and adults, alike, with his memorable performances in Harvard Square from 1994 until his untimely death in 1996.

The Story of Fenist introduces viewers to Fokin and his magical marionettes, who play a main role in his saga. Rich performance footage and insightful interviews with his wife, children, extended family and friends are used to retrace Fokin's life from his time as Russian university theater student and at his St. Petersburg studio to his life in New England.

The film includes a parallel story to Fokin's artistic struggles based on the Russian fairy-tale, Fenist the Bright Falcon, a tale about a magical bird that, overcoming great odds, reaches its star. Two children provide the delightful narration.

Through the eyes of the director, the audience is introduced to the magnetism and charm of Igor Fokin and his puppets. Merging two stories in one, the film brings viewers into the world of beautiful images and metaphors, music and theatre.

Recent Awards include: Award of Merit for Short Documentary and Creativity/Originality, Indie Fest Awards, 2010 and Official Selection, NewFilmmakers, NY 2010. The Story of Fenist will be screening at Cannes FIlm Festival in May, 2011.

Running time: 55 minutes

Russian and English (with English subtitles), 2001 and 2010 (revised version)

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