The Russian Winter is a film about journeys. It’s a film about Grammy nominated musician John Forte’s journey from one of Brooklyn’s most dangerous neighborhoods to the country’s most prestigious, elite boarding school to federal prison where his fourteen year sentence for drug transporting was cut in half, incredibly commuted by George W. Bush. The Russian Winter is a film about the journey from rapidly changing Moscow into the vast interiors of Russia. It’s a film about John Forte’s determination to have his music heard. It’s a film about cultural exchange, self-reflection, fatigue and success. The Russian Winter is about the unlikely journey from a prison cell to the planet’s second largest continent. It’s about confinement and freedom, and finding one’s footing as paradigms shift.