Russia
RUSSIA - Not long after the Berlin Wall came down I was given an assignment by a new arts/culture magazine to travel with Russian novelist David Gurevich to Moscow and spend a week documenting the day-to-day workings of Mosfilm, Russia’s equivalent to Hollywood - where films like The Battleship Potemkin was created (in 1925). The scene depicted in this photograph was taken within the first hour of my arrival at the arcane and cavernous studios, where different films were being produced simultaneously on different sound stages throughout the many buildings. This young actress was on a cigarette break on set in between unknown scenes of arguments and nudity. The rest of the week was spent running around the ex-Soviet metropolis with actors, directors, and models, always protected by our driver who knew where the next good meal and bottle of vodka could be procured.