The Puppeteer
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Synopsis
On the street corners of Harvard Square, Igor Fokin worked wooden figures with the precision and presence of the Russian marionette tradition. The documentary follows him closely: his exchanges with passersby, the brief moment when a sidewalk becomes a stage, and a turn of events that reframes everything. Just Fokin, his figures, and whoever stopped to watch.
Context & Trivia
Fokin built, carved, and manipulated every figure in his street show on his own, working within the Russian marionette tradition—wooden characters operated from above with strings—without an institutional workshop or support team. That total autonomy, from construction to performance, places him among the most self-sufficient puppet-makers in the Eastern European lineage. Directed by Gary Henoch and Chris Schmidt, the documentary carries singular archival weight given Fokin's death at 36: it is the most complete record of his practice, and makes his street marionettes the only surviving evidence of a technique and creative voice that would otherwise have left no trace.
Puppeteers
Igor Fokin
Direction
Gary Henoch
Cast
Igor Fokin
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