A Beautiful Journey: An Insightful Chat with Alexander Andryushchenko, Director of ‘100 Years Forward’

A Beautiful Journey: An Insightful Chat with Alexander Andryushchenko

Recently, the highly anticipated film “100 Years Forward” hit the big screens, captivating audiences with its tale of Alisa Selezneva, Kolya Gerasimov, and space pirates. A week before its release, a premiere was held at the mooon cinema space in Minsk, attended by the film’s director, Alexander Andryushchenko, and the lead actress, Dasha Vereshchagina. We had the opportunity to attend this event, ask our burning questions, and listen to the inquiries of the audience and colleagues. In this article, we share the most fascinating insights from director Alexander Andryushchenko.

About the Film

“100 Years Forward” is inspired by the eponymous story by Kir Bulychev. The movie introduces us to Alisa Selezneva, Kolya Gerasimov, and space pirates. However, it is not a remake of “Guests from the Future” or Bulychev’s story, but a unique cinematic experience.

Alexander Andryushchenko: The Mastermind Behind the Film

Alexander Andryushchenko is the director, producer, and one of the screenplay writers of the film. Among his most notable works as a producer and director are box office hits such as “Attraction” and “Invasion,” the “Ice” trilogy, the thriller “Sputnik,” and the “Yolki” series.

The Evolution of the Script

Authors often say that during the writing process, the script or book begins to take on a life of its own, resulting in a final product that differs from the author’s initial vision. When asked how close or far the final result of “100 Years Forward” was from the original concept, Andryushchenko responded:

“The beautiful is far away. The final result is very different from the initial idea. Cinema has a life of its own. It grows organically, like a tree. The director is the gardener. You plant a seed, and a sprout emerges. Then branches grow, and you don’t decide how they will grow. You will protect it, take care of it, and create conditions for it. That is, you find actors, create a working atmosphere, and do many other things. But the tree grows by itself. And in any case, it grows not the way you imagine it.

There were many different drafts of the script. For example, the main characters, who are children, grew older during the process. Initially, the plan was to have 12-year-old children (as in Kir Bulychev’s story “100 Years Forward,” on which the film is based). However, at some point, the cinematographer, Misha Milashin, brought Mark (Mark Edelshtein, who played Kolya Gerasimov) to the auditions. His performance was so impressive that Andryushchenko decided to rewrite the characters as high school students.

Regrets and Ambitions

When asked if he had any regrets about the film, Andryushchenko shared his thoughts:

“I think any ambitious author dreams of more. Otherwise, he is a bad author. When you start making a movie, you think that you will make the best movie in the history of world cinema. Ambitions are always like that. And I think that’s normal. Something else comes out. But I am satisfied with the film, and most importantly, this is a rare case when I can’t say that I wasn’t allowed to do something. Often it happens: there wasn’t enough budget, the actors played badly, the operator shot the wrong thing, and so on. This is a case where everything I wanted, everything I can do today, I did. I think so. Probably, if there are any problems, shortcomings in this film, it means that I will try harder next time. But I can only say ‘thank you’ to everyone. It seems to me that everything I am capable of at this moment in my professional life, I have shown.”

The Influence of Family

Andryushchenko also shared how his own children influenced the film’s plot and ideas:

“I tested everything on my children. I have three boys. One of them is the prototype of Kolya Gerasimov. In general, Kolya’s line, especially the initial part: relationships with parents, his leitmotifs, what happened to him at school – all this is copied from my child. And from my feelings. The director calls me, I tell him: ‘What will you become’ (there is such a scene in the film – author’s note) – all this is copied from my feelings. Everything you saw in the film is my life.”

Andryushchenko’s two younger sons, a seventh grader and a fifth grader, also played a significant role in the film’s development. They tested everything from computer graphics and sketches to castings. They also introduced their father to anime, which became the basis for the future world’s imagery in the film.

Prototypes of Characters

When asked if other characters had prototypes, Andryushchenko explained:

“As a director, I entered this story through Kolya. I think this is a very organic entry. I fell in love with this story and wanted to shoot it as soon as Kolya stopped being a pioneer and became a modern high school student. It became very close, interesting, and understandable to me: it is connected with my son, it is connected with me. We enter this world in the film through Kolya, through modern children, we look at everything through their eyes. I think this is a very correct approach. ‘Guests from the Future’ worked at the time precisely because of this. Because the pioneers came home and watched about themselves, about their travels to the future and meeting with a guest from the future.”

He further added that if we return to the analogy with the tree, then Kolya was the ‘seed.’ There were no more prototypes further. With Alisa, for example, there was exactly the opposite task. They were looking for a girl who would be interesting to watch.

For more interesting facts about the film, you can visit this link.