Kino

The romantic and turbulent rise of the most influential Soviet post-punk / new wave band, Kino, which transcended cultural, ethnic, and political barriers with its deep to the core honest lyrics and heart numbing melodies. Kino's phenomenon swept the world despite the iron curtain in the 80s, as its heroic founder Viktor Tsoi, who also acted in films, with his wing-man guitarist Yuri Kasparyan landed shows in Europe and the US. Aided by a pioneering producer Joanna Stingray, Yuri Kasparyan's wife from California, the movie "The Needle", starring Viktor, screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 1990 followed by a sold-out performance by the band. The unwinding of the Cold War resonated in Kino's music and sent social ripples in light of Kino's unmatched popularity in the USSR. The legendary band's life was cut short at its peak following Viktor Tsoi's fatal car crash in Latvia.