The President of the TSIOLKOVSKY International Space Film Festival Igor UGOLNIKOV took part in a major art project "THE WORLD READS THE LITTLE PRINCE!"
International Art Media Project "Let's Go!" organized a read-a-thon to rediscover the pages of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's beautiful philosophical fairy tale "The Little Prince". Everyone gets a grasp of it in a specific way, finding meanings close to them. Igor Ugolnikov was lucky with an excerpt - the journey of the Little Prince to the Fourth Planet and his meeting with a Stargazer: "Five hundred million what?" asked the little Prince. "Eh? Are you still there? Five-hundred-and-one million--I can't stop... I have so much to do! I am concerned with matters of consequence. I don't amuse myself with balderdash. Two and five make seven..." "Five-hundred-and-one million what?" repeated the little prince, who never in his life had let go of a question once he had asked it. The businessman raised his head. "During the fifty-four years that I have inhabited this planet, I have been disturbed only three times. The first time was twenty-two years ago when some giddy goose fell from goodness knows where. He made the most frightful noise that resounded all over the place, and I made four mistakes in my addition. The second time, eleven years ago, I was disturbed by an attack of rheumatism. I don't get enough exercise. I have no time for loafing. The third time--well, this is it! I was saying, then, five-hundred-and-one million--" "Millions of what?" The businessman suddenly realized that there was no hope of being left in peace until he answered this question. "Millions of those little objects," he said, "which one sometimes sees in the sky." "Flies?" "Oh, no. Little glittering objects." "Bees?" "Oh, no. Little golden objects that set lazy men to idle dreaming. As for me, I am concerned with matters of consequence. There is no time for idle dreaming in my life." "Ah! You mean the stars?" "Yes, that's it. The stars." "And what do you do with five-hundred millions of stars?" "Five-hundred-and-one million, six-hundred-twenty-two thousand, seven-hundred-thirty-one. I am concerned with matters of consequence: I am accurate." "And what do you do with these stars?" "What do I do with them?" "Yes." "Nothing. I own them." "You own the stars?" "Yes." Igor Ugolnikov admitted that he did not quite understand this book in his childhood. It took time and life experience to be able to draw a parallel to this seemingly simple story of a boy's journey to the stars with eternal biblical plots. The deep meanings and subtle poetics of de Saint-Exupery's work can excite and charm both children and adults. This fairy tale is for everyone and everything. Its sincere conversation with the reader, without hiding professional pleasure, is conveyed by the participants of the wonderful project "The Little Prince - A Community Fairy Tale -/ ISS/".