Hadassah Film Festival Presents “How to Re-Establish a Vodka Empire”

Daniel Edelstyn grew up with little knowledge of his family’s history; he was only three when his father died, and when his mother resettled in Ireland, they began a new life with little concern for the past. It wasn’t until after the death of his grandmother Maroussia Zorokovich that Daniel learned about the remarkable history of his father’s side of the family from reading her journals. Daniel discovers his father’s family were once wealthy and powerful, operating a successful distillery in Russia before the rise of the Bolsheviks turned fate against them as wealthy Jews, and they were exiled to the United Kingdom. In the documentary How To Re-Establish A Vodka Empire, Daniel Edelstyn uses archival photographs, animation, and re-enactments to tell the story of his paternal heritage and the rise and fall of their once-lucrative liquor business, as well as documenting his own efforts to rebuild the now-faltering family business despite his lack of skills or experience. How To Re-Establish A Vodka Empire was an official selection at the 2011 London BFI Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming,