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Fresh out of the London Film Festival, How To Re-Establish A Vodka Empire is a vodka-fuelled journey into the heart of the Russian Revolution. The feature documentary charts the journey of director Dan Edelstyn as he attempts to track down his long lost Jewish Ukrainian heritage and then re-launch his great grandfather’s once glorious vodka empire.

The film constitutes a whirlwind journey through European times and spaces – the story has it all, revolution and romance, exile and entrepreneurship, and at its heart lies a life changing discovery of a vodka distillery in the Ukraine.
We caught up with the director of the film, Dan Edelstyn to find out more:

It all started in Devon when Dan, who has directed for Channel 4 amongst others projects, set about searching his mother’s attic for secrets of his grandmother’s melancholic but exotic life during the Russian revolution.  Stumbling upon her memoir he became gripped by her legend and decided to make a documentary about his family and their once glorious past; He tells me; “I felt a responsibility to my grandmother, finding her in that suitcase and on those pages.”

Dan’s family were wealthy Jews before the throws of war and, along with a sugar factory which feel into dilapidation, he found  they also owned a vodka distillery, barely in use. Edelstyn explains that his intention for this film was to; “pay homage to the past and find the present”, which he begins to unearth as the documentary follows his efforts to re-establish his family’s vodka empire – ‘The idea hit me – why not rebrand the vodka and connect it and its surrounding community to the international vodka market’?

Dan’s journey of self –discovery has led him to occupy the role of both entrepreneurial business man and film-maker. The vodka, now called Zorokovich 1917, has been bought by Selfridges and is given to members of; ‘The Vodka Club’ Describing himself as a director and door to door salesman he exclaims; “If there is one message in this film, it is that we have very little time in this life and we have to make the most of it.” This is embodied by one of his favourite sayings, taken from his grandmother’s memoir; ‘Time is like a shadow of a bird in flight.’

Romantic, ambitious  and beautifully shot - this is a bewitching film with genuine heart.

Enjoy the film with a free shot of Zorokvich vodka at Exeter Phoenix.

Film shown at Exeter Phoenix on Thu 02 Feb 8:10pm, £5.50 (£4.50)

View film details >>

Article written by Roberta Massy-Birch