Mimino Film
Wednesday, May 22, 2024Mimino (Armenian: Միմինո) is a 1977 comedy-drama film by Soviet director Georgiy Daneliya produced by Mosfilm and Gruziya-film, starring Vakhtang Kikabidze and Frunzik Mkrtchyan. Anatoliy Petritskiy served as the film's Director of Photography. The Soviet era comedy won the 1977 Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival.
Valiko Mizandari, nicknamed Mimino, is a Georgian bush pilot flying helicopters between small villages and his hometown Telavi. However, when he reunites with his former flight academy classmate Valera, a Tu-144 pilot, he meets stewardess Larisa, who catches his eye. After being punished for unauthorized transport of a cow for an old woman in the village, he asks for recertification and a transfer, hoping to fly large airliners around the world.
Mimino goes to Moscow, leaving his life and family behind, and gets a hotel room with boisterous Armenian truck driver Ruben "Rubik" Hachikyan who was mistaken for an endocrinologist with the same surname. He tries to ask Larisa out, but both attempts fail as he struggles to adjust to life in the metropolis and his ambitions conflict with Rubik's home-drawn. Things turn worse as the mix-up is revealed, leading to the eviction of Mimino and Rubik. They sleep in Rubik's truck and try to sell a tire so Mimino doesn't run out of money, but encounter Papashvili, who had cheated his sister, causing Mimino to assault him. Although his lawyer manages to get him out of jail, he runs out of money and his application is rejected.
In his moment of need, Mimino meets Ivan "Vano" Volokhov, his dad's friend from the war. Vano gets him an interview with the airline chairman; although his connection to Vano turns out to be another mix-up, Mimino gets the job and first flies to Berlin, where his international dreams don't match up to reality. Another mistake leads to a chance phone call to a Georgian immigrant in Tel Aviv which reinforces his homesickness. Returning to the airport, Mimino meets Valera and Larisa again, but refuses her interest. Finally, he returns home to Telavi to fly helicopters again.
- 1977 – Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival
- 1978 – "Golden Lacheno" Award at the 19th IFF in Avellino (Italy)
- 1978 – Best Comedy Film Award at the 11th All-Union Film Festival in Yerevan
- 1978 – USSR State Prize (Director G. Daneliya, Actors V. Kikabidze, F. Mkrtchyan)