Film 'The Savichevs' Blockade' Dispels Myths About Tanya Savicheva

The premiere of the documentary film «The Savichevs» Blockade«, created by the »Preserved Culture« project, is scheduled for January 27, 2026 at the House of Cinema. The event will feature the film»s subjects and creators.

The film opens with the words of Tanya Savicheva«s classmate, siege survivor Natalya Soboleva: »Tanya lived through three wars… We knew each other, we were friends.« Next to her in the frame is Yelizaveta Savicheva, Tanya»s great-grandniece, who delves into the intertwining of family and city history.

«There Are Savichevs Who Are Alive and Remember»

Director Maxim Yakubson said that the idea for the film came after a meeting between Lisa Savicheva and Natalya Soboleva. He recalled that Tanya«s diary was first presented in Yefim Uchitel»s film «The Feat of Leningrad» in 1959. Yakubson emphasized: «The image of Tanya Savicheva is significant for all Leningraders. However, alongside it always stand the words: »The Savichevs died, all died.« This is a common trope that relatives question, since not all Savichevs died, life goes on. There are Savichevs who are alive and remember.»

According to Yakubson, the film shows a modern girl«s view of the past. Producer Viktor Naumov added that the film captured a dialogue between generations with a gap of over 80 years. »Here, the opportunities of people and their interest in each other coincided,« he said. Naumov noted that Natalya Soboleva died a year ago, and if the filming had not taken place in time, it would have been impossible to capture this meeting.

Naumov pointed out a symbolic coincidence: Lisa is about the same age as Tanya was during the blockade. «The circle of history has closed,» he stated.

«Tanya Has a Certain Mythical Image…»

The film«s creators dispel several common stereotypes. Maxim Yakubson pointed out that Tanya Savicheva did not die in Leningrad, but in evacuation, and the cause of death was tuberculosis, not dystrophy. He also gave an example that life continued in the besieged city: people attended operettas and concerts.

Project editor-in-chief Anna Asmolova noted: «Tanya has a certain mythical image… Everyone seems to know who Tanya Savicheva is, but when you start asking, it turns out that there is no clear factual picture.» She described a scene where Lisa corrects a tour guide at the Savichevs« house, which sparked debate, but the footage was kept.

Viktor Naumov clarified that it«s about simplified stereotypes that have formed due to decreasing interest from new generations. Asmolova added that for Tanya»s generation, the blockade was already the third war after the Civil War in Spain and the Soviet-Finnish War.

From the Unused…

Maxim Yakubson shared a detail not included in the film: according to Natalya Soboleva«s recollections, Tanya was a quiet girl, studied poorly, but it was her diary that became a symbol. When asked about the historical basis of the film, the director answered that archival materials from the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg and family photographs were used, but the main task was to show the everyday life of people.

There Is Still No Museum of Tanya Savicheva

Anna Asmolova recounted that in the USSR, memory of the real Tanya Savicheva was suppressed. After the release of Uchitel«s film, the fact that there were living relatives—sister Nina and brother Misha—was not publicized. The reason was the family»s «incorrect» origin: in 1935, the Savichevs were exiled from Leningrad, and after returning, restrictions were imposed on the children, such as a ban on joining the Komsomol.

Alexander Uralov, who now lives in the Savichevs« apartment on Vasilyevsky Island, reported that in the 1970s, his family proposed creating a museum there, but was refused due to Tanya»s origin. Uralov will attend the film«s premiere.

Maxim Yakubson expressed hope that a museum of Tanya Savicheva will still appear in St. Petersburg, and their film may contribute to this. When asked what to say to those who think they know everything about Savicheva, the director drew an analogy with classical works: it«s not about new facts, but reinterpretation. »Our premiere is an opportunity to watch the film together with people who survived the blockade and with those for whom this topic is significant,« he said.

The conversation with the film«s creators was conducted by Fyodor Danilov for »Fontanka.ru«.