Manifesto

The guiding principles for Moscow Art Theatre, developed by Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko and Konstantin Stanislavski:

One must love art, and not one's self in art.
Today Hamlet, tomorrow a supernumerary, but even as a supernumerary you must become an artist.
The poet, the actor, the artist, the tailor, the stagehand serve one goal which is placed by the poet in the very basis of his play.
All disobedience to the creative life of the theatre is a crime.
Lateness, laziness, caprice, hysterics, bad character, ignorance of the role, the necessity of repeating anything twice are all equally harmful to our enterprise and must be rooted out.
There are no small parts, there are only small actors.

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For the whole of this life, there is this urge to fall into some form of creative practice. The privilege to have space and touch upon varying disciplines before entering the craft of film is necessary to shape our creative expressions.

There are a lot of us in competition with one another, especially when seeking funds. A healthy rivalry is something we can embrace in motivating our creative growth, but a lot of us fall into the comparison game, especially when rejections come in abundance.

The industry is far too competitive and result-oriented. How your film does at the box office and whether a film will get accepted to festivals should not be what dictates the creative decisions we make. As artists, we need the opportunity to explore at all stages of crafting a film, from its conception to its exhibition.

To explore requires us to strip away our egos and accept all rejections as an encouragement to further refine ideas. This should not mean that you pander to the trends of what audiences fall into. It’s an opportunity to reframe our minds and “love art and not one’s self in art.” Your passion for ideas are what will motivate you and others to invest into projects, and the same can be said vice versa.

One person cannot make a film on their own. A film is a synthesis of multiple perspectives from varying creative and logistical disciplines. No matter the role, every voice is necessary in serving a vision. Every individual attached to a project is an artist in their own right.

Thus, disobedience and disrespect between others should not be tolerated. With many voices involved, a natural rift in opinions may occur. The morale surrounding your project will depend on your actions following it. Creating a safe environment for all will only benefit the creative result of hard work shared. This requires one to be gentle, honest, kind and respectful to others as well as yourself.

The collaborative embraced here focuses on forging bonds with fellow creatives within and beyond the film industry. All with the intent of nurturing voices, encouraging experimentation and celebrating our growth.

The passion required to tell stories, the courage to confront rejections, the discipline to explore your craft, and the need to be kind and respectful. Practicing filmmaking should teach people how to be human.

MANIFESTO

The guiding principles for Moscow Art Theatre, developed by Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko and Konstantin Stanislavski:

One must love art, and not one's self in art.

Today Hamlet, tomorrow a supernumerary, but even as a supernumerary you must become an artist.

The poet, the actor, the artist, the tailor, the stagehand serve one goal which is placed by the poet in the very basis of his play.

All disobedience to the creative life of the theatre is a crime.

Lateness, laziness, caprice, hysterics, bad character, ignorance of the role, the necessity of repeating anything twice are all equally harmful to our enterprise and must be rooted out.

There are no small parts, there are only small actors.

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