A documentary about the creative genius Eugen Semitjov and his fascinating background.
"Semitjov - Dreams for a Better World" is a film that moves between two ages: the future, a grand space vision created by Swedish-Russian space journalist/artist Eugen Semitjov (1923-1987), and the past, where his father Vladimir, after leaving revolutionary Russia, struggles to survive as a refugee in a foreign land: Sweden. The film weaves these stories together into a thought-provoking story beyond time and space, where the struggle and creativity of two generations are mirrored against humanity's greatest adventure ever: the conquest of space.—PKD
An evocative documentary about the creative genius Eugen Semitjov (1923-1987) and his fascinating background. Eugen was a celebrity in his time, a successful and innovative comic book artist, reporter, author, and illustrator, specializing in the subject of outer space.
The documentary unfolds along two parallel time-lines: the future, where we get to witness a grand space vision created by Eugen, and the past, which begins with his father, Vladimir, struggling to survive as a refugee in a foreign country: Sweden.
It is a thought-provoking cinematic tapestry that spans beyond time and space, reflecting the struggles and creativity of two generations against humanity's greatest adventure ever: the conquest of space.
In 1923, the Semitjov family arrived in Sweden as refugees from the Soviet Union, without food or money. Father Vladimir, his heavily pregnant wife, their two sons, and his elderly mother came to Stockholm, where the third son, Eugen, was born later that year. Swedish culture would later receive a significant boost from this immigrant family!
Father Vladimir Semitjov became an incredibly productive and appreciated short story writer, as well as the most significant Swedish science fiction author of the interwar period. He also helped Mauritz Stiller ignite one of the biggest movie stars of all time: Greta Garbo!
The eldest son, Volodja Semitjov, served as a war correspondent during World War II and later became a successful screenwriter. He wrote, among other works, the script for the Swedish feature film that has been watched by the most people globally in history: "One Summer Of Happiness" (1951), the film that coined the term "Swedish sin."
The youngest son, Eugen Semitjov, created the science fiction comic strip "Allan Kämpe" in 1942, which remains the most-read Swedish adventure strip internationally. He then transitioned to space reporting and traveled many times around the world. He interviewed astronauts, cosmonauts, and space researchers; he visited rocket bases, research laboratories, and observatories - experiences that resulted in numerous original, imaginative, and visionary newspaper articles, books, and even TV programs. In 1972, Eugen was awarded the prestigious "Stora journalistpriset" (Great Journalist Prize) in Sweden.
Filmmaker Micke Engström has created a multifaceted feature-length documentary about Eugen Semitjov, one of his childhood idols. He previously made a documentary about the horror artist Hans Arnold, another source of inspiration from his childhood ("Hans Arnold - Penselns Häxmästare," 2019).
In "Semitjov - Dreams for a Better World" several well-known voices participate, including Stina Ekblad (Fanny and Alexander), Shebly Niavarani (Real Humans), Per Ragnar (Let the Right One In), Tomas Laustiola (Hassel), and Nina Stemme (who has been named the world's best opera singer multiple times).
