Unknown life of Pavel Kushnir | "Kushnir" Documentary movie

Pavel Kushnir was a virtuoso pianist, a writer, and a courageous man whom the world discovered only too late. He died on July 27, 2024, in a Birobidzhan detention center following a dry hunger strike, after being arrested on the pretext of a series of anti‑war videos posted on a YouTube channel with only five subscribers. This film attempts to understand the man who played Rachmaninoff until his fingers bled, who dreamed of flying to Mars, idolized Kurt Cobain, and called the war by its true name while living in complete isolation. Archival footage, previously unknown recordings, fragments of his poignant cut‑up novel, and memories from close friends and colleagues—including Clean Bandit soloist Grace Chatto, music expert Mikhail Kazinik, and publisher Dmitry Volchek—are gathered to tell a story that is not just about a death in prison, but about an extraordinary life that became an act of art and resistance.