SXSW 2009

Type Film → film_screening
Venue: Hideout
About: Young women in St. Petersburg are going to school again. They want to learn how to seduce, marry and control men. They want to learn how to be a successful bitch. Bitch academy/ Vixen Academy is a tragicomic documentary of the early Russian capitalism, which determines in an atmosphere of fear and hope, the dreams and intimacies of it's young generations.
Social relationships in Russian society have changed a great deal in recent years. In this turbulent period, the country's own conception of its women has come under great pressure, and this has major consequences for how men and women get along with each other. What is expected of you as a young woman these days? And even more importantly, how can you make sure to appeal to the contemporary, successful Russian man? The answer to these questions is the Bitch Academy, a training school for the modern-day gold digger.The male course instructor employs unorthodox methods. Boosted by his advice, exercises and role play, a striking game unfolds between him and his female students. In an atmosphere of sexism and abuse of power, a world of lust and temptation is created in which there's only room for the most ruthless seductress. The students emulate that image, but behind their sexy masks lurks a world of great uncertainty and sorrow.Filmmaker Alina Rudnitskaya only observes. Together with her crew, she snakes her way around the tiny classroom and films a shocking portrait of a society adrift.