International crew and cast are working on a debut directed by writer and scriptwriter Michael Idov. The story takes place in August-September, 1984. The Humorist is a film about a week in the life of Boris Arkadiev, a fictional Soviet stand-up comedian. Boris is tormented not only by external oppression and censorship but also by his own insecurities that poison all his relationships. Fame, combined with lack of personal freedom, is driving him crazy — especially when the same people who dictate what he can and can’t joke about keep summoning Arkadiev to their villas and saunas as a kind of court jester. Finally, the comedian snaps and — armed with the exotic American notion of “insult humor” — takes his revenge.

Michael Idov, director: «For me, the story of Boris Arkadiev is intensely personal on several levels. I have set it in my hometown of Jurmala, Latvia; the year, 1984, places the film’s action deep in the realm of my own firsthand childhood memories. And, in many ways, I intend it to be a confession and exploration of my own compromises and insecurities, both as a Soviet Jew and as an American whose odd biography has led him to become a public figure in the modern Russia.»

Producers of the film are Artem Vasilyev (METRAFILMS, Russia), Andrey Saveliev, Aija Berzina (TASSE Film, Lavia), Artemio Benki (SIRENA Film, Czech Republic).

Director: Michael Idov
Script: Michael Idov
DoP: Aleksander Surkala
Costume designer: Aleksander Osipov
Production designer: Aivars  Žukovskis
Cast: Aleksey Agranovich (as Boris Arkadiev), Yuriy Kolokolnikov, Alisa Khazanova, Vilma Kutaviciute, Semyon Steinberg, Artyom Volobuyev, Polina Aug

The film will be finished by Summer 2018.