Making the Overcoat

Streaming video - 2019

Yuriy Norshteyn, Russia’s most renowned animator, began work 40 years ago on an ambitious adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s The Overcoat, but after completing 25 minutes of the film, the project stalled and has been shelved for many years. A Japanese film crew visited Norshteyn’s studio and found there mountains of sketches, character studies and a shooting table covered with dust. When will his much-awaited work finally be completed? Norshteyn himself talks about its current status and the anguish and passion that has gone into its creation.