Russian

Amazon.com:
Grigory Chukhraj’s poetic odyssey of an accidental hero on a six-day pass is a sentimental journey through the ideals of the Soviet state in World War II. Vladimir Ivashov is the fresh-faced signalman whose trip from the Russian front to visit his white-haired mother becomes a series of detours as he stops to help the loyal comrades, fellow soldiers, and salt-of-the-earth civilians (as well as a few shirkers and scoundrels) he meets along the way. On a transport train he even falls in love with a pretty young stowaway, a feisty blond girl-next-door on her way to visit a wounded boyfriend. Delicately photographed and gently paced, this deliriously romantic road movie is undeniably Soviet in its celebration of patriotism and collectivism, but Chukhraj transcends politics with delightfully vivid characters and a deft mix of comedy, melodrama, and romance. –Sean AxmakerRead More »

Quote:
Nasreddin, the Robin Hood of the East! Those who read the Leonid Solovyov’s brilliant book “Povest’ of Hodzhe Nasreddine” (The Tale of Nasreddin the Hajji) will surely value this treasure of Jakob Protazanov for it is the only faithful screen version that has approached the mischievous spirit of the book that close. Also it’s hard to imagine a better Nasreddin than Leo Sverdlin with his ever-glittering cunning eyes and radiant smile.Read More »

Quote:
“Francofonia,” a powerful cinematic essay on how art and war are irrevocably intertwined, has an ideal canvas and time peg for its philosophical musings: the Louvre Museum during the Nazi occupation of France.
In an elegiac documentary designed to raise questions more than answer them, director Alexander Sokurov has plenty of rueful observations about how iconic artworks make for excellent war trophies, because art embodies the heart and soul of a vanquished culture. We see the irony of the Germans seeking to haul away the Louvre treasures that the French themselves plundered from other nations.Read More »

Synopsis
In Putin’s Russia, former music radio producer Natasha Sindeeva dreams of becoming famous and decides to build her own TV station to focus on pop culture. Natasha’s journey begins with building the station, Dozhd, and she goes on to recruit an open-minded team of outcasts who find themselves reporting on some of the biggest and most controversial stories of the day while trying to protect independent journalism in their country.Read More »

During World War II, a little girl is left without parents and is forced to hide from the Nazis, taking care of herself on her own. Day after day.

11 wins & 17 nominations.Read More »

This is a story of young people from nowhere, a story about anatomy of a break-up and finding yourself.Read More »

Plot:
When a detachment of German troops lands nearby, a group of five Russian anti-aircraft gunner women must warn their colleagues. But when they discover that saboteurs have destroyed their only means of communication, the ladies must take matters into their own hands by fighting the enemy soldiers themselves.Read More »

Quote:
In his latest documentary, Sergei Loznitsa takes viewers to Nazi-occupied Ukraine and, working exclusively with uniquely restored archive materials, shows us the background of the tragic events that took place just outside occupied Kyiv in September 1941 – the massacre of more than 33,000 Jewish residents. Loznitsa’s seventh film shown at Cannes offers a chilling report on these events and places them into a broader context. When memory turns into oblivion, when the past overshadows the future, it is the voice of cinema that articulates the truth.Read More »

One of the best Ukrainian shorts on the war in Donbas. Minimalistic picture of just one day in the proximity of the Donetsk airport during its siege.Read More »