Russia


OCCUPATION 1968
OCCUPATION 1968

2019  Anthropology  Cinema Studies  Directed by Women  Eastern Europe  Europe  Peace & Conflict  Russia  Short Films  World History 

An anthology documentary consisting of five short films on the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, each by a different director from the five countries that participated in the occupation. 


I AM GAGARIN
I AM GAGARIN

2019  Cinema Studies  Cultural Studies  Directed by Women  Music  Russia  World History  Urban Studies 

A deeply personal exploration of post-Soviet Russia, I am Gagarin examines the Moscow rave scene, and the influential trendsetters at the forefront of the subculture. 



COUNTING
COUNTING

2015  Cinema Studies  New York City  Russia  Urban Studies 

In fifteen linked chapters shot in locations ranging from Moscow to New York to Istanbul, Counting merges city symphony, diary film, and personal/political essay to create a vivid portrait of contemporary life.

LETTERS TO MAX
LETTERS TO MAX

Political Science  Cinema Studies  Russia  Eastern Europe  2015 

What is the job of a diplomat for a country that does not exist? With this question, acclaimed filmmaker Eric Baudelaire initiates a wide-ranging correspondence with his friend Maxim Gvinjia, former Minister of Foreign Affairs for Abkhazia, a country with physical borders, a government, and its own flag, but has not been recognized as a nation.

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SOKUROV: EARLY MASTERWORKS

Literature  Russia  Cinema Studies  Eastern Europe 

A deluxe collector"s set featuring three early masterworks by visionary Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov (Russian Ark, Alexandra) in newly translated and restored director"s cuts: Whispering Pages (70 min), a brooding, beautiful film inspired by nineteenth-century Russian literature, primarily Dostoevsky"s "Crime and Punishment"; Stone (79 min), a mysterious fable about a young night watchman"s encounter with the ghost of Chekhov; and Save and Protect (133 min), a visually sumptuous adaptation of Flaubert"s "Madame Bovary".

MAIDAN
MAIDAN

2015  Russia  Eastern Europe  Political Science  Sociology  Cinema Studies 

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa, Maidan chronicles the civil uprising that toppled the government of Ukrainian president Victor Yanukovich and has since developed into an international crisis. Filmed in stunning long takes, sans commentary, Maidan is a record of a momentous historical event and an extraordinary study of the popular uprising as a social, cultural and philosophical phenomenon.

THE WOMAN WITH THE FIVE ELEPHANTS
THE WOMAN WITH THE FIVE ELEPHANTS

Literature  Eastern Europe  Psychology & Psychiatry  Russia  Jewish Studies  World History  2011 

Winner of multiple awards, The Woman with the Five Elephants unravels the mystery behind the life and work of the world's greatest translator of Russian literature. A poetic, precise and revelatory investigation into language, meaning, and the tides of history.

THE DESERT OF FORBIDDEN ART
THE DESERT OF FORBIDDEN ART

Art History  Russia  Eastern Europe  Anthropology  Cultural Studies  Islamic Studies  2010  Directed by Women 

The incredible story of how a treasure trove of banned Soviet art worth millions of dollars was found in the desert of Uzbekistan develops into a larger exploration of how art survives in times of oppression. A fascinating documentary about a group of visionary artists and one man who risked his life to rescue their work.

17 August
17 August

Criminal & Law  Psychology & Psychiatry  Russia  Eastern Europe  2010 

On a small island in central Russia, inside a former monastery converted into a high security prison, inmate Boris Bezotechestvo is serving a life sentence in solitary confinement. This startling documentary chronicles one day in his life, advancing a complex and troubling assessment of crime and punishment.

FOR GOD, TSAR AND THE FATHERLAND
FOR GOD, TSAR AND THE FATHERLAND

Eastern Europe  Cultural Studies  Political Science  Peace & Conflict  Russia  Religion & Spirituality  2009  Directed by Women 

Is the small village of Durakovo - where residents unquestioningly obey a self-appointed leader - a microcosm of Russia today? For God, Tsar and the Fatherland deftly explores what drives the current strain of Russian patriotism, and why many of the country's citizens oppose Western-style democracy.

THE LOST COLONY
THE LOST COLONY

Anthropology  Health  Europe  Eastern Europe  Science  Russia  Biology  2008  Directed by Women 

The recent history of Abkhazia - a breakaway republic in Georgia, like South Ossetia - is told through the story of a once-renowned scientific institute struggling to survive after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. It's a far different perspective on the Russia-Georgia crisis than what's reported on CNN.

AFGHAN WOMEN: a history of struggle
AFGHAN WOMEN: a history of struggle

Women's Studies  Islamic Studies  Russia  Political Science  Middle Eastern Studies  World History  2008  Directed by Women 

The tumultuous history of Afghanistan from the perspective of the country's female population, Afghan Women: A History of Struggle chronicles the stories of women who have risked their lives to achieve political, economic, and social equality.

ORANGE REVOLUTION
ORANGE REVOLUTION

Political Science  Media Studies  Eastern Europe  Russia  2007 

An in-depth look at Ukraine's historic Orange Revolution. Assembled from over 300 hours of original footage and archival materials, featuring penetrating interviews with key players, this documentary chronicles one of the most successful non-violent revolutions in decades.

SONIA
SONIA

Art History  Women's Studies  Russia  Performing Arts  Jewish Studies  Eastern Europe  Cultural Studies  Architecture  2007  Directed by Women 

A magical portrait of Russia's revolutionary artistic avant-garde - Mayakovsky, Voloshin, Blok, Malevich, Tatlin - through the life of Sonia Dymshitz-Tolstaya, an impassioned artist whose life reflected the social upheavals of her time. She was one of the few Jewish women who became part of this inner circle.

IN MEMORIAM: ALEXANDER LITVINENKO
IN MEMORIAM: ALEXANDER LITVINENKO

Russia  Political Science  Eastern Europe  Criminal & Law  Media Studies  Islamic Studies  Terrorism Studies  2007  Directed by Women 

Begun nearly two years before his death, this fascinating documentary offers a meticulous account of the life and final days of ex-FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who died of radiation poisoning in November 2006. In the process, it provides extraordinary insight into the current political climate in Russia.

IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS
IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS

Russia  Jewish Studies  Eastern Europe  Aging / Gerontology 

A beautiful and poetic film about the last remaining Jews in Birobidzhan, the world's first Jewish autonomous region, established in a distant corner of Siberia in the 1920s.

RIVER OF TIME
RIVER OF TIME

Science  Russia  Physical Science  Europe  Eastern Europe 

A poetic journey into the groundbreaking theories of Russian scientist Igor Novikov, renowned for his work in astrophysics and amazing theories on the concept of time.

UNDER FIRE: Soviet Women Combat Veterans Of World War II
UNDER FIRE: Soviet Women Combat Veterans Of World War II

Women's Studies  Sociology  Russia  Europe  Eastern Europe  Directed by Women 

Under Fire captures powerful first-person accounts by five decorated Soviet women as they describe stepping into a man’s world and fighting amid blood and death.

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K. MALEVICH: TRANSFIGURATION

Russia  Eastern Europe  Art History 

Kasimir Malevich (1878-1935), a Russian painter best known for his founding in 1913 of the Suprematism movement, is one of the founding fathers of the avant-garde. This video portrays the vision of this innovative artist whose aesthetic ideas revolutionized customary perceptions of the fine arts.

THE BALLAD OF BERING STRAIT
THE BALLAD OF BERING STRAIT

Music  Russia  Directed by Women 

This cinéma-vérité documentary, shot in high definition video, follows seven Russian teenagers who came to America to become country music stars.

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