Central Asia Initiative Film Screening: "Little Angel, Make Me Happy"

Directed by Usman Saparov, Turkmenistan, 1992. Opening remarks by David MacFadyen, Slavic Languages and Literatures

Thursday, March 13, 2008
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
1102 Perloff
Los Angeles, CA 90095

 Little Angel, Make Me Happy tells an intimate story within the larger historical context of the deportation of ethnic Germans from Turkmenistan to Siberia during the Second World War. The film centers around a child named Georg who escapes capture and placement in an orphanage. As he tries to make sense of what's going on around him, and why people who were once his friends are now treating him with contempt, he awaits the traditional "Baby Angel" of Easter, who he believes will protect him. The film is from a collection films from Central Asia given to the UCLA Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures by the Open Society Institute.

David MacFadyen is Professor and Chair of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. His research focuses on post-war Russian literature, Soviet cinema and animation, popular entertainment, the "small stage" (èstrada) and song.

David MacFadyen's introductory comments can be found here.

More information about the Asia Institute Central Asia Initiative

Cost : Free

Sponsor(s): Center for European and Russian Studies, Asia Pacific Center, Program on Central Asia, Department of Slavic, East European & Eurasian Languages & Cultures