Discoveries from Russia World Cinema

Nine-year-old Vovka lives in the glorious city of Vladimir with his father and grandfather. Pavel, a widower, is raising his son alone. Yes, and it’s not he who raises him, to be honest, but his grandfather. Pavel himself plunged into work “without days off,” either in order to drown out loneliness, or so that his son would not need anything. Only for Vova, what is more important is not material well-being, but communication with her father. Running away from after school and wandering around the ancient, wonderful city, every time he sees other boys playing chess, football with their dads, someone discussing going to the theater... And our Vovka came up with the right way to make his dream come true - to his father became a friend to him and gave him the most precious thing - time!

Sabina dreamed of an ideal place to live away from civilization. To find him, she leaves the parental home and goes with her husband Sergei and one-year-old Yaseya to Altai. The road turns into a nightmare of daily quarrels: Sabina does not want to help with the child, clean up and cook, and Sergei gets tired of endless scandals. Against the background of growing irritation with each other, Sabina's dreams are increasingly detached from reality. And yet, the journey continues.

The visit of uninvited guests ruins the lovers' plans for a romantic evening.

The story about 40-year-old Vasily, who has been trying to find for more than 20 years happiness in the city. When coming back home to the village, he understands that his already nobody waits and nobody wants it already.

The two brothers meet for the first time in years at their mother's funeral. The drama that quarreled between them crippled two lives, and the culprit - the eldest - went unpunished. Now he is a businessman, and the essence of his “business” is revealed at the commemoration: the taking of apartments from old people. The younger gets a chance to take revenge, but that means ruining his brother's life.

Using the patriotic military celebrations of May 9 as an ongoing and disquieting motif, St. Petersburg–based documentary filmmaker Rudnitskaya introduces several ordinary gay and lesbian couples whose legal rights are increasingly invalidated, and whose very lives are in constant danger in a cultural and political climate that’s turned blatantly, unapologetically homophobic.

A funny story about the relationship between a beloved cat and a newly bought bird.

After the birth of the sixth child, the father left for another woman. The core of the family was the elder sister Natasha, herself a person of dramatic fate.

Welcome to the only country in Europe you probably never heard of! Transnistria is a thin strip of land between the Moldovan river Dniestr and the Ukranian border. After claiming independence in 1990, and breaking free from Moldova in 1992, the country is not recognized by the UN, but has its own parliament, government, military, police and currency. In Transnistria, the old Sovietic virtues are still nurtured in full scale. It´s still USSR-time! «Good morning Transnistria» is a portrait of the country through the life of Oxana and Victor. Oxana is a naïve and optimistic teacher, Victor is a tombstone dealer and regime opponent. Through their lives, we discover what everyday life is like in this akward place, right in the nucleus between Europe and Asia.

The life of elite chess players during a prestigious international tournament. Portraits of world Champions, their everyday humor and analysis of games played, interests in gay pride and classical music concerts. Behind the scenes of the beautiful world of chess, where people were able to keep the joy of the profession and communication.

New film by Ilya Sherstobitov

An extracurricular lesson dedicated to Victory Day is planned at a city school. However, due to an innocent children’s prank, the event is put at risk of being canceled. The students realize that they will have to take responsibility for their foolish mistake in a mature, adult way.

The International Foundation for the Support of the Arts "Sergey Oskolkov and his Friends" presents "DIALOGUES AT THE FACTORY" The 2nd meeting. A conversation with mathematician, businessman and philanthropist Konstantin Cerneucanu. Armed with the scientific approach of a mathematician and the practical experience of a businessman, Konstantin Cerneucanu reflects on how the essence of patronage has been developing in Russia since Diaghilev's time, how to increase the cost of an industrial building and where this world in general and Russia in particular are heading.

The story of a young man Serezha, who long ago moved to Moscow from his small provincial town. He has gotten used to the role of a metropolitan resident, listens to modern music, dresses brightly and feels great. But today Seryozha realized that something had broken inside him, some mysterious illness had appeared, giving no rest, changing his entire habitual life.

“Today you will hear my most honest and truthful story about how I made a movie with Eisenstein and Pudovkin almost 90 years ago, how I shot from a bow in the movie Ivan the Terrible, about how I taught the Red Army to ski, how I built the Riga Film Studio, about Naval ships, about Stalin and life in the Universe."

Moscow is excited about the upcoming event — the betrothal of the Emperor and Catherine. Ekaterina and Millesimo try to escape from Russia, but their conspiracy is exposed. Millesimo is brutally beaten, the fugitive is put under lock and key. Seeing Millesimo at the engagement, the shocked Catherine drops the ring, and everyone sees this as a bad sign. And that's right: exhausted by endless hunting, drunkenness and nervous shocks, Peter II falls ill. Dolgoruky keep his illness a secret.

The world's first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin dreams of flying to the moon. Just like the 12th American astronaut Neil Armstrong. In 1968, the space race between the USSR and the United States reaches its climax, and it has to pay for it at the cost of human life.

The life of a homeless boy is changed when a foreigner offers him a life-changing sum to perform a single act.

Lonely young seamstress Masha rents an apartment from widower Valery, who recently lost his beloved wife. Unable to come to terms with the loss, Valery visits Masha almost every day, which prevents her from improving her personal life.

The security guard of the registry office is a real romantic who believes in love, but one day the wedding palace turns into a cave of divorces.

One day in the life of the strange inhabitants of a small village hidden in the rocks by the sea. A mysterious crime happens in front of witnesses.

A young woman in Russia considers whether to get in touch with a crush.

At first glance, charity is easy: gather things, spend time, help with money. But it turns out, it's not easy when you are 17 and you are not ready to see lonely old age, poverty and disease. And when you realize that now you are there - in a nursing home - waiting, it becomes even more difficult.

Taking advantage of his wife's temporary leave, Anton and his female friends are having fun. In the midst of all the revelry, he receives a telegram that she is to return this morning. General turmoil ensues. Anton sees off his visitors and tries to reestablish order, but suddenly notices with horror one of the ladies had forgotten her corset...

The heroine of the film, fashion designer Tanya Kotegova, has become an unquestioned authority in the world of fashion, a queen of style with an inimitable energy in every collection. How did a girl from Magadan reach the heights of design art? The fashion show is the most honest account of the inner world, passions, and experiences of a woman who has dedicated herself to her craft and her fashion house.

Saturated by the mystical dystopic musical epic of Alexander Popov "Dren Iz Vineniy". It was based on a powerful crypton-bander experimenters from the notorious band "Won James Won".

Four friends arrange film screenings for the residents of their village. After another outdoor session, they return home. Their conversations about cinema, life and the future are intertwined with subtle matters and eternal arguments.

Arthur, a retired astronaut, tells his neighbor Richard that strange, inexplicable things are happening to him after his return from space. Based on the short story by Stephen King.

This film is unique educational video course which basis on a long-term experience of practical work and teaching activity of the leading masters of Russian animation: Feodor Hitruk, Jury Norshteyn, Edward Nazarov, Andrey Khrzhanovsky.

Seva Lovkachev's stand-up, recorded in the fall of 2022.

Based on Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice".

Three friends leave the village for the wedding of their old friend. But an ordinary, at first glance, trip gradually turns into an unexpected adventure with a lot of curious, and sometimes even dangerous trials. Will they be able to cope with them and carry their friendship through all the hardships?

Katerina Gordeeva's documentary about the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine consists of dozens of interviews with Ukranians that have been first-hand witnesses of the war. People from Mariupol, Bucha, Kyiv, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Volnovakha, Hostomel and other cities have participated in the making of the film. Gordeeva's interviewees recount how they found out about the invasion, how they hid from bombings and how they were forced to leave their homes.

40 km of dirt road. 35 villages. 12 residents. Soon there will be no one left.

Garik Martirosyan speaks with his large stand-up program, in which he will talk about his friends comedians, about modern trends, about Vatsap users. About how he posted the poster of his concert on Instagram and why it is compared with Petrosyan. Why is he not joking on the topic of Russian rap. How he writes his famous friends in a notebook and much more.

The story of a child carrying the spiritual light of hope, for whom childhood ended in separation from his mother. Mom, solving their personal problems, sends Eureka for the summer to his great-grandfather in the village. Summer holidays, usually bringing so much joy and excitement, have become a real test for our hero…

The film is based on the real story of the life of one strong person who, despite everything, was able to step beyond the horizon of his own capabilities. And we all have something to learn from him. Alexander Zhuravlev, a resident of Yekaterinburg, went blind at age 11 and has only 2% residual vision. A few years ago, he decided that in fact he did not sign the verdict and did not become disabled. Alexander began to travel independently, mastered mountain skiing and, finally, began to take pictures. An exhibition of the hero’s works was opened in Moscow, where everyone could look at the pictures of nature. So a blind photographer showed people what a beautiful world surrounds them. His photographs are a reason to ask yourself the question: “Why does a blind guy show me the world? Why didn't I see all this? ”This is a reason to see my opportunities. This is a reason to look beyond the horizon.

The world-renowned Marina Abramović has argued that artists should not fall in love with each other. The film VovaNina decisively overturns this categorical statement by showing us the life story of two outstanding Moscow artists, Vladimir Salnikov and Nina Kotel.

The Kino-nedelya newsreels constitute the first films of Dziga Vertov. A total of 43 issues, each containing an average of 5 to 7 different items, were produced between May 1918 and June 1919. In the fall of 1918, Vertov joined the newsreel’s ranks and soon took on full responsibility for the series, defining the content and structure of each issue. The films provide an invaluable record of life in the young Soviet Russia, then in the throes of civil war.

On the morning of December 31, Alina receives the keys to her beloved's new apartment as a gift, but the idyll is ruined by a call from Valera's ex-wife, who was in a car accident. Valera goes to help out, and Alina goes out of town, where she meets her first love.

Every day, Semyon catches up on sleep on the train that takes him to prison. There, he puts on a robe and tries to quickly get rid of the routine medical work with prisoners in order to return to his personal, everyday routine. An emergency at work suddenly interferes with his viscous existence, forcing Semyon to choose between compromising his conscience or preserving his humanity.

Mila got diagnosed with tongue cancer. Instead of operation and chemotherapy she decides to try an unconventional treatment in the Amazon jungle of Peru and to make a film about her healing process.

Grigory Pomerantz did all the war from 1941 to 1945, roamed the Stalingrad circle, was in all the hottest battles, went all the way to Berlin. His observations and reflections on the meaning of war and man caught in the war are shocking. Nobody had thought of this way in the Great Patriotic War.

"The Queen of Spades" is considered Tchaikovsky's best creation by the world-famous conductor, People's Artist of the USSR Vladimir Ivanovich Fedoseev. He took over the leadership of the musical process of recreating the production at Helikon Opera. The original reading, modern stage language, love for Tchaikovsky's music, which became the hallmarks of Helikon's "Queen of Spades," are preserved in the new version. To this were added the thoughtful gaze of maestro Fedoseev, the stunning stage capabilities of the new hall and the artistic talent of the Helikon troupe.