Discoveries from Russia World Cinema

A film adaptation of A. Sukhovo-Kobylin’s work “The Case,” which reproduces the details of the author’s trial experience.

The autumn of 1993. In an attempt to puzzle out the death of a famous film director and save the unfinished movie “Boris Godunov” the enamored protagonists fail to notice the moment when they become part of the historical events which will forever change their lives.

Moscow, early 20th century: Stray dog Samson, fleeing from animal catchers, finds himself in the Bolshoy Theater, where he meets charming Margot, a pet of prima ballerina Anastasia. The plot thickens as the unique tiara that belonged to the Queen of Great Britain and that Anastasia has to wear in the fourth act, is stolen from the dressing room. Without the tiara, the show cannot go on, so Margot and Samson have to save the day to the sounds of the great Georges Bizet.

Little Elizabeth thought her future was predestined: she was to marry Louis XV and become the Queen of France – that was the promise given to her by her father, Emperor of Russia Peter the Great. When Peter dies in 1725 without naming a successor, an era of palace coups and power struggles begins in Russia. For some tumultuous years it remains to be seen whether the young Russian Empire and its new capital St. Petersburg would stand, and what future lies in store for the country of Russia. Peter's widow, Catherine I, becomes Empress - the first woman to rule Imperial Russia. She wishes to fulfil the promise her late husband had given to their daughter, but fails. Young Louis XV refuses to marry Elizabeth after learning that she was born before her parents were officially married. That, in his eyes, made her illegitimate.

A gripping war drama that tells the story of Maria Petrova, in whose fate, as in a mirror, the fate of the country was reflected: the daughter of a priest, who renounced her father and the faith, she serves in the NKVD. On the eve of the battle for Moscow, Maria meets the clairvoyant eldress Matrona, and soon it is Maria who is tasked to deliver to Moscow the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, located behind the front line in the occupied territory...

A comedy about Masha First (the grand-granddaughter of Johnny First) who comes to Russia from USA trying to make her own movie.

Struggling for a daughter, hooked on heroin, the father had to get acquainted with the underground life of Saint-Petersburg. He doesn’t trust the police. Together with his friend he unravels the drug dealers network in order to stop the drug addiction that conquered the city in the 90s. Will they have enough powers to make it to the end?

A few rich and glamorous people are flying to Nice, but instead of South France they land in the heart of the Sibir.

Modern Russian take on Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" focuses on a few days from one popular Moscow journalist's life and the essential attributes of his life: Sex, betrayal, love, friendship, murders, etc.

Catherine II always knew that her successor would not be her son Pavel, but her beloved grandson Aleksandr. From his earliest years, he was brought up as a future ruler - in strict discipline and with a brilliant education. Having finally become emperor, Aleksandr intended to continue the reforms of his predecessors - to abolish serfdom and introduce a constitution. But at the beginning of the 19th century, a war broke out between two great empires - France and Russia. Aleksandr had to go through a thorny path from brilliant reforms to the Patriotic War.

Based on Clifford Simak's story "All Flesh is Grass". In the small settlement strange things lately are created, and soon the settlement is cut off from the outside world by an insuperable wall. The scientist Alexander Kartin tries to investigate the unusual phenomenon.

Americans decided to make sure that in the Arkhangelsk region village was found a diamond deposit, and sent there under the command of the submarine black veteran, who accompanied the Allied convoys during the 2nd World War. As a distraction the barrel full of alcohol (200 liters) was thrown to the shore. The barrel was caught by the local blacksmith Philemon. On this occasion villagers arranged festivities and all American submariners were gradually involved into it against their will.

Igor, a Russian oligarch gets into a heated argument with Eva, his estranged daughter whilst traveling on his private jet. Igor orders the plane to land. As the plane touches down Eva disappears into the Goan jungle. Thus begins Igor's desperate search for his only daughter. A search that will bring him and Eva into contact with various characters who in turn are trying to find their own paths through life. Makar, a guy from Novosibirsk, who is desperately searching for enlightenment. Alexey and Kristina are ending their marriage here, while Dimon and Lenya are raising hell and pushing Goa to its partying limits. Kosmos the Guru ("just don't call him that") dispenses the chemicals that in a bat of an eyelid will take you to an alternate reality. There are different destinies here. There are a myriad of people. But all of them have one Motherland, which is easy not to love as long it is close to you

Nevalyashka is a young and very successful boxer who is dreaming about the winning against the famous champion...

The story of a young Chechen and his Russian captor during a war between Russia and Chechnya.

The cycle consists of four short stories ("Record", "Havana", "Close Embrace", "Uncle from Chicago") connected by a common idea - to present different portraits of a modern Russian woman. It is planned to add some more interesting stories. All the short stories are shot by different directors, and each of them shows the viewer His Own Woman.

Nikolay Fomich Ferapontov is a muralist and "classic of socialist realism", who lived a life far from sinless. However, all success has remained in the distant past, and in his old age he has to make ends meet, interrupting by random orders. Everything changes when a young art critic Myasoedov appears on his doorstep and finds paintings in the back room, in which he unexpectedly recognizes masterpieces of fine art. Not really imagining the real origin of the paintings, Nikolay Fomich calls himself their author, and from that moment the hunt for money and fame begins.

In this movie we follow fate not a person but car: first Soviet Lada. It starts with Brezhnev daughter and then gradually moves on parallel to last years of USSR into wild after-perestroika years with bandits and newly born oligarchs.

The picture is dedicated to the exploits of the Soviet underground fighters and partisans who heroically fought against the German invaders during the Great Patriotic War. The image of the main character of the railway worker Ales Arlovich is collective, but it is based on the fate of the Soviet underground fighter Fyodor Krylovich, who committed the largest land sabotage of the Second World War at the Osipovichi railway station.

A modern adaptation of a famous classis Ivan Turgenev novel.

One day two people turn up at the office of the advertisement company "FIGA.RO". They are a beautiful girl and a young man, quoting Montaigne. In a short time the couple take hostage the businessman Ivan. He is the owner of the company and its windows face the building housing special services.

Young and talented programmers Andrey and Marina have created a unique computer program of great commercial value. By a tragic coincidence, Marina dies. To complete the program, Andrey needs an access key for Marinin. Andrey is faced with the task of unraveling the secret of Marina's key. Only one photo serves as a clue - a photo of Jose, an old friend of Andrei and uncle Marina. In search of a clue, Andrei sets off on the road along the M-8 Highway, which leads to Vologda, where Jose lives. Lena, the lover of an oligarch who wants to take over the program, becomes Andrey's fellow traveler. On their trail are several more interested persons: a former "super agent", a gangster music lover, a distraught politician, stoned bikers and many others.

According to ancient legend, the artist found a mineral that can revive any inanimate thing. To hide the mineral, he inserts it into a doll named Hagi. A century later, Hagi falls into the hands of a puppeteer, and he with horror discovers that the old doll is alive. Moreover, she also has a nasty character. Criminals try to take possession of it in order to use it for mercenary purposes. But they do not know the secrets of this doll - no one can take possession of it, but it has a destructive effect on any person who falls within its influence.

A mining town in Russia at the end of the nineties. A miners' strike has paralysed the place, corruption and fraud are flourishing in the transitional period from a socialist economy to a market economy. In this world of lost souls lives Yekaterina Artemovna (Katya). This unconspicuous woman has, in the words of her future lover, a "heart of gold". The only bright spots in her lonely life in a meagre communal apartment are literature and her work in the town library. The only bright ray flashed in the life of the heroine is a visiting sailor. But he turns out to be a gigolo and leaves the poor woman. The tense string inside the heroine bursts, the iron nerves lose, and restrained Yekaterina at this point loses all patience with life and ready for the most desperate and cruel revenge...

The plot follows the events surrounding Vladimir from childhood and into adulthood. In the beginning of the film, being under the influence of the high priest Krivzha, the Prince is a young, impulsive and cruel pagan. Fighting for supreme power, Vladimir wins a battle that kills his brother. Regretting what he has done, Vladimir does not suspect a conspiracy between the priest and the Pechenegs. Vladimir is concerned about gathering the Slavic tribes into one united state. Solving this major task, he faces obstacles, which Vladimir overcomes in the end, defeating Krivzha and winning the battle against Kurya, a Pecheneg chief.

Maria, a wife of a deputy commander of a military base, begins a relationship with another officer, Their affair quickly spirals out of control, fatally and irreversibly changing the course of Maria's and her family's life.

Gathered together in a country house, seven friends play an entertaining game, in which participants have to read aloud all of their incoming text messages, and can only answer their calls using loudspeaker mode. They can’t even imagine what stunning surprises about each other they will discover.

Female protagonist’s brother dies under mysterious circumstances. Extremely vivid nightmares begin to haunt her and she decides to turn to the Institute of somnology for help. Along with other patients, they are induced into a «collective lucid dream». But at the dawn, they will awake to a completely different reality that is more horrifying than any nightmare.

The 1990s. Empty shelves in the shops, an economic abyss and criminal dramas that unfold literally at every corner. The young leader of a criminal gang Anton Bykov, with the nickname “Bull”, must make money in whatever way to provide for his family. After a local shootout, Anton ends up in the police station, from where he is released at the intervention of Moscow’s crime lords. In exchange, the latter asks Anton for a small, but dangerous service

Eight men, eight stories about the morning after party...

Moscow, the 90s ... A city without a past and without a future. A city that doesn't forgive mistakes. Showing Moscow bohemia, the criminal business: nightlife, easy money, excitement and confusion form the surface of this life. The main characters of the film are businessman Mike and his friend and partner in smuggling Lev, a psychiatrist Mark and his school friend Irina who became the mistress of a nightclub, her two daughters - a crazy Olga working in the same club as a singer, and Masha - the “Moscow Princess” on the threshold of her thirtieth birthday. Love stories smoothly flow into a crime drama.

It's 1999. Sasha and his parents spend their summer holiday in a sanatorium, where he gets the titular role in an amateur musical production of Orpheus and Eurydice. He is paired with Polina, an employee of the sanatorium and a local beauty. Sasha falls in love with a girl and, without realizing it, drags himself and his family into an unequal battle with the manager of the sanatorium Misha, who does not hesitate to use any leverage so that Polina stays with him.

Vadim Krylov is the owner of a major retail chain. He's the best at what he does, and he is used to getting what he wants at any cost. He reaches his goal, 3000 stores all over the country, but that costs him dearly. Now, to avoid financial ruin Krylov has to make a deal to partner with a large Chinese retail chain. The Chinese company is ready to purchase a 50% stake in Vadim's company which officially - or on paper at least - belongs to his Mother. Vadim is once again on top of the world. But his Mother, who lived her whole life in his home town died a half a year ago and it turns out, she left a last will and testament. So Vadim will have to go back to his home town where there's an unexpected surprise waiting for him. His Mother bequeathed the company not to him, but to her granddaughter, his daughter, with whom he has had no contact with since he abandoned her at the age of two.

A mystery around a search for a lost skull of Nikolay Gogol.

Max had never looked forward to the New Year like that in his life. Cosplay festival for gamers! Best Player Prize! But suddenly a daring girl Venus and her stern police mother appear on his way. However, Max cannot be stopped. He will do everything to be on the Cosplay. Win the Super Drone Race. Disarms a mysterious villain. Will turn a robbery and save his father from bankruptcy. And none of this would have happened if not for the invention of his dad - a fantastic and fantastically smart drone with the habits of a cute animal.

In 1994, Alexander Sokurov accompanied Russian troops assigned to a frontier military post at the Tajikistan/Afghanistan border to film their experiences. While unnamed tribal forces occasionally engaged the troops in skirmishes, Sokurov’s haunting documentary chronicles the downtime between activity.

Victor aka Hammer is an MMA champion with the world title fight ahead. After running into the mobster Shark Hammer gets injured but is still determined to win. Victor doesn't know Shark will stick at nothing to make Victor lose.

The new adventures of four musketeer friends... Based on Alexandre Dumas père novel "20 Years Later".

Leningrad; 60th years; white nights. Walking on Neva Embankment, the charming provincial has met three friends: poet, artist and film director. And each of young people has suggested to marry him.

The film takes place in Russia, America and Japan. The main character Vladimir Ognev is the son of a family of immigrants from Russia. in the early 2000s, he lives and studies in the USA. he has a brilliant scientific career and a happy personal life. after defending his dissertation, Vladimir receives an offer from the UN special department to study the scenario: how will humanity react if it finds out that an alien civilization exists and has been in constant contact with us for many years? over time, Vladimir realizes that this scenario is not as fantastic as it seems. now the future of the earth depends on his work.

Gera, a respected director of TV commercials, thinks he's capable of creating a fiction movie masterpiece. Predictably, he ends up with owning money to a mafia and no film to show for. To make his life even crazier he falls in love with a girl who belongs to the boss of mafia.

The teacher's daughter dreams of giving her mother an unusual gift for the New Year and making her happy. At a custom gift agency, she chooses the most expensive one - dinner with a star. But it was difficult to guess what kind of fee we were talking about, and now she and her friends have several months to earn this money. Musician friends help her with this. By coincidence, the star is my mother's unrequited high school love, and New Year's dinner with the star will take place against all odds.

After an accident, ten-year-old Ilya falls into a coma. His father Andrey is on duty at his son's bedside in the hospital, but the attending physician informs that the boy will have to be disconnected from the life support device — this is the law. Andrey offers money, tries to convince the doctor that it is necessary to wait, but everything is useless. Then Andrey brings a gurney with Ilya connected to the device to the first ward he comes across, barricades the door, and, threatening with a gun, takes a doctor and a nurse hostage. Andrey gave his son a man's word that he would save him, and he will keep his word.

While Saint Petersburg is shocked by the series of mysterious suicides, Egor is about to move to Moscow to leave the past behind and start over. His plans change when he meets Karina who believes something supernatural is happening. Together they will try to reveal the secret of the reoccuring deaths. The secret that will lead them to the sinister Man in White.

An almost Chekhovian story about a once successful director making his last film, in spite of everything and everybody, in his country house. Strange guests, vain actors, somewhat eccentric neighbours and the director are reason enough for the author’s irony, and sometimes sarcasm. And you remember? Chekhov’s guns always fire!

December 31, 1320. Residents of the medieval city of Nischburg, who survived two plague epidemics, are preparing to celebrate the New Year and quickly forget about all the problems that have fallen on their heads. But it turns out that not everything that is possible has fallen on their heads. A huge stone flies to Earth, which will fall in about twelve hours. The wise Baron decides not to say anything to anyone, but to distract his subjects by having a luxurious feast for all the money left in the treasury. The holiday begins!

A gang of crooks robbing cash collectors, run into a police surveillance team and the inadequate police response results in a gunfight. A TV crew on assignment in the area happens to capture this humiliation on camera, and this example of police incompetence is soon the lead story in every news bulletin. Public confidence in law and order now suffers irreparable harm. The head of the Moscow force welcomes a public search-and-destroy operation against these thugs, the brainchild of Katya, his PR director. She proposes that the capture of this dangerous gang be transformed into a live TV show of a kind never seen before. At this point she cannot know that the gang leader's life-and-death struggle with the police is destined to lead to a media duel. Besieged in a huge apartment block, the crooks hold hostage a father and his son and daughter. A massive special forces rescue operation is mounted but fails miserably.

Nikolai Kazantsev arrives at the mysterious estate of Count Vladimir Pazurkevich, a young man intending to study fine arts in Italy, but lacking the means to do so, he takes a chance on an adventure! Introducing himself as a professor, Kazantsev tries to pretend convincingly that he is studying the Count's extensive library, while at the same time actively hitting on Pazurkevich's fiancée, the beautiful Anna. Strange events taking place at the estate draw the guest into the whirlpool of a mystical and eerie story...

The action of the famous play about the inhabitants of the flophouse has been transferred to our days. The heroes live in a landfill, look for something to sell in the mountains of garbage, steal and drink. One day, Luka appears at the dump, who tries to comfort these people who have sunk to the bottom of their lives.

The film is an attempt to recreate the world of Marc Chagall and his myth within the genre of a folklore ballad. We are not exploiting Chagall's images, but are attempting to create a dramatized projection of his creativity onto the movie screen, relying on both, facts and fantasy (as Chagall himself would).The story is based on real events which occurred at the time of Chagall's short-lived period in Vitebskin in 1917-18, during which time he creates the Academy of Modern Art, inspired by his dreams of a bright and beautiful future. Many pictures by Chagall and Malevich are used in the film.

The drama of a former noblewoman who became the wife of an NKVD officer in the 1930s, and the almost anecdotal story of how a spirited stallion was prepared for Marshal Budyonny's parade and, in the end, a reliable mare was "slipped in" instead. The realities of life at the top of the State Security Service are shown, their ordinary and "sweet" life with its joys, intrigues, betrayals, and tragedies. Russia is like a whirlpool that sucks in and destroys.

Four novels: "Spring", "Summer", "Autumn", "Winter" - four very different love stories...

The true story of a former chicken seeking to return to her past life.

Residents of the city of Kirovsk have not been surprised by the beauty of the northern lights for a long time. Once, thanks to him, a simple girl Zoya receives a fantastic gift - a magical power that can change the fate of people.

A well-known civil servant from the Mayor's Office in a provincial Russian town receives a note: You'll soon die. He takes no notice, and gets ready for his normal Sunday – family problems, his personal life, work, other matters… But this Sunday turns out very far from normal. From the very start things come crashing down, smiting everything in its path, including all plans, external composure, and even his own life.

Sasha Rodionov, a sly cash-out operator from Moscow, owes money to a dangerous authority nicknamed Beekeeper. He does not forgive delays and deals harshly with debtors, so Sasha and his family flee to Dagestan under the witness protection program. But his wife and children are sure that this is an ordinary vacation, and now Sasha is forced to pass off a dilapidated barn in a mountain village as a fashionable eco-hotel. However, the popularity of the hotel gives away Rodionov's location to his ill-wishers.

Sergey comes to Moscow and starts to work as EMT. But his life in the capital isn't simple...