The Trailer
The Story

“We do not care of what we have, but we cry when it is lost”
Russian Proverb

"52" - The Trolleybus. is the story of a beloved former Communist Institution, its last gasp and the dedicated people that try to keep it alive amidst the political and economic turmoil of the region.

In 1961 construction of the worlds longest trolley bus line was completed in record time. Located in what is today considered occupied territory by most of the world except the Russian Federation, the fully electrified fleet of buses connects the capital of the Crimean peninsula Simferopol with the famous seaside resort town of Yalta. The intercity buses travel a distance of 52 miles (86km) and unlike any other trolley bus in the world manage to navigate a mountain pass. (Angarskyi Pass -2467 ft.)

The Krymmtrolleybus institution has somehow managed to survive the changing political, social and economic currents of the last 50 years. In a region infamous for its dangerous driving conditions the Krymmtrolleybus has never the less earned a stellar safety record, while providing a vital public service to a community largely underserved by the authorities.

Although massively underfunded and working with long since outdated equipment, the dedicated employees of the Krymmtrolleybus department have managed to keep the buses running on schedule and safe at the same time. Many spare parts needed for repairs have to be made from scratch. Much of the equipment has to be meticulously maintained far beyond its designated retirement age by people well beyond theirs.

In early 2000 the Krymmtrolleybus, with the help of a popular uprising, barely survived a dubious attempt by the Ukrainian government to bankrupt the company and transfer all business to a private fleet of minibuses. Omnipresent, environmentally unregulated and unaccepting of social benefits these buses are aggressively operated in a legal grey zone.

In 2014, as the fleet of buses was finally being upgraded and things were starting to generally improve, the Russian Federation decided to annex Crimea from Ukraine. Seemingly overnight the Krymmtrolleybus institution along with the whole region was thrown into turmoil and uncertainty once again.

David Auerbach
Director

The Filmmaker

Raised in Austria, David Auerbach is a freelance cameraman and filmmaker now based in Los Angeles. Over the last 15 years David has worked on a variety of music videos, commercials, documentaries and narrative films, collaborating with some of the industry's most talented directors and cinematographers.

David was the cameraman on the award-winning surf documentary “Zen and Zero”. “52”–The Trolley Bus is his directorial debut film. To see David's show reel please vist auerbachdavid.com.

The Crew

Director/Cinematographer/Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sound Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DIT/Camera/Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Graphics/Web Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

David Auerbach
Heimo Ritzinger
Jessica Kehrhahn
Gailute Miksyte
John Veleta
One Long House

Stills
Contact

You can contact us through email 52thetrolleybus [at] gmail [dot] com or with the form on the right.