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The cinema of Russia began in the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, widely developed in the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and in the years following its
dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...
, the Russian film industry would remain internationally recognized. In the 21st century, Russian cinema has become known internationally with films such as ''
Hardcore Henry ''Hardcore Henry'' (also known simply as ''Hardcore'' (russian: Хардкор) in some countries) is a 2015 science fiction action film written and directed by Ilya Naishuller (in his feature directorial debut), and produced by Timur Bekmambeto ...
'' (2015), ''
Leviathan Leviathan (; he, לִוְיָתָן, ) is a sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Amos, and, according to some ...
'' (2014), '' Night Watch'' (2004) and ''
Brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...
'' (1997). The
Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...
began in Moscow in 1935. The
Nika Award The Nika Award (sometimes styled NIKA Award) is the main annual national film award in Russia, presented by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science, and seen as the national equivalent of the Oscars. History The award was established i ...
is the main annual national film award in Russia.


Cinema of the Russian Empire

The first films seen in the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
were brought in by the
Lumière brothers Lumière is French for 'light'. Lumiere, Lumière or Lumieres may refer to: * Lumières, the philosophical movement in the Age of Enlightenment People *Auguste and Louis Lumière, French pioneers in film-making Film and TV * Institut Lumière, ...
, who exhibited films in Moscow and
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in May 1896. That same month, Lumière cameraman
Camille Cerf Camille Cerf (; born 9 December 1994) is a French model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss France 2015. She represented her country in Miss Universe 2014, where she placed in the top fifteen. Early life Camille Cerf grew up in ...
made the first film in Russia, recording the coronation of
Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...
at the
Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...
.
Aleksandr Drankov Alexander Osipovich Drankov (russian: Алекса́ндр О́сипович Дранко́в; 18 January 1886 – 3 January 1949) was a Russian Empire and Soviet photographer, cameraman, film producer, and one of the pioneers of the Russian pre- ...
produced the first Russian narrative film ''
Stenka Razin Stepan Timofeyevich Razin (russian: Степа́н Тимофе́евич Ра́зин, ; 1630 – ), known as Stenka Razin ( ), was a Cossack leader who led a major uprising against the nobility and tsarist bureaucracy in southern Russia in 1 ...
'' (1908), based on events told in a folk song and directed by
Vladimir Romashkov Vladimir Romashkov was director of the first Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiy ...
. Among the notable Russian filmmakers of the era were
Aleksandr Khanzhonkov Aleksandr Alekseevich Khanzhonkov ( rus, Александр Алексеевич Ханжонков, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ xənˈʐonkəf; — 26 September 1945) was a pioneering Russian''Peter Rollberg (2016)''Historical Dic ...
and
Ivan Mozzhukhin Ivan Ilyich Mozzhukhin ( rus, Иван Ильич Мозжухин, p=ɪˈvan ɨˈlʲjitɕ mɐˈʑːʉxʲɪn; —18 January 1939), usually billed using the French transliteration Ivan Mosjoukine, was a Russian silent film actor. Career in Ru ...
, who made ''
Defence of Sevastopol ''Defence of Sevastopol'' (russian: Оборона Севастополя, or Воскресший Севастополь) is a 1911 historical war film about the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War and one of the most important films in ...
'' in 1912.
Yakov Protazanov Yakov Alexandrovich Protazanov (russian: Яков Александрович Протазанов; 4 February ( O.S. 23 January ) 1881 – 8 August 1945) was a Russian and Soviet film director and screenwriter, and one of the founding fathers of ...
made ''
Departure of a Grand Old Man ''Departure of a Grand Old Man'' (russian: «Уход великого старца», Ukhod velikovo startza) is a 1912 Russian silent film about the last days of author Leo Tolstoy. The film was directed by Yakov Protazanov and Elizaveta Thiman, ...
'' (1912), a
biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...
about
Lev Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
. Animation pioneer
Ladislas Starevich Ladislas Starevich (russian: Владисла́в Алекса́ндрович Старе́вич, pl, Władysław Starewicz; August 8, 1882 – February 26, 1965) was a Polish-Russian stop-motion animator notable as the author of the first pu ...
made the first Russian animated film (and the first
stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
puppet film with a story) in 1910 – ''
Lucanus Cervus ''Lucanus cervus'', known as the European stag beetle, or the greater stag beetle, is one of the best-known species of stag beetle (family Lucanidae) in Western Europe, and is the eponymous example of the genus. ''L. cervus'' is listed as Near ...
''. His other stop-motion shorts '' The Beautiful Leukanida'' (1912) and ''
The Cameraman's Revenge ''The Cameraman's Revenge'' (russian: Месть кинематографического оператора, Mest' kinematograficheskogo operatora) is a 1912 Russian short film written and directed by Ladislas Starevich Ladislas Starevich (ru ...
'' (1912), produced for Aleksandr Khanzhonkov, are also among the first animated films. In the following years, Starevich made shorts based on fables such as ''The Grasshopper and the Ant'' (1913), as well as World War I propaganda films. Olga Preobrazhenskaya was the first woman director of Russia. In 1916 she made her directorial debut ''Miss Peasant''. However, the film has been lost. In the Soviet era she directed ''
Women of Ryazan ''Women of Ryazan'' or ''The Peasant Women of Riazan'' (russian: Бабы рязанские, Baby ryazanskie) is a 1927 Soviet silent drama film directed by Olga Preobrazhenskaya and co-directed by Ivan Pravov, starring Kuzma Yastrebitsky, O ...
'' (1927). During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, imports dropped drastically, and Russian filmmakers turned out anti-German, nationalistic films. In 1916, 499 films were made in Russia, more than three times the number of three years earlier. Before the
October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
, Russia did not have a highly developed film industry due to the general populace being too poor to support a native industry. The
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
brought more change, with a number of films with anti-Tsarist themes. The last significant film of the era, made in 1917, was ''
Father Sergius "Father Sergius" (russian: Отец Сергий, Otets Sergiy) is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy between 1890 and 1898 and first published (posthumously) in 1911.Julian Connolly in Charles A. Moser (ed.), ''The Cambridge History of Russian ...
'' by
Yakov Protazanov Yakov Alexandrovich Protazanov (russian: Яков Александрович Протазанов; 4 February ( O.S. 23 January ) 1881 – 8 August 1945) was a Russian and Soviet film director and screenwriter, and one of the founding fathers of ...
and Alexandre Volkoff. It would become the first new film release of the Soviet era. File:Vasiliy Goncharov 001.jpg, Vasiliy Goncharov, a pioneer of the film industry File:Vitold_Polonski_and_Vera_Karalli_in_Posle_smerti_1915.jpg,
Vitold Polonsky Vitold Alfonsovich Polonsky (Russian: Витольд Альфонсович Полонский; 1879 – 5 January 1919) was a Russian silent film actor. Biography The son of a nobleman, Polonsky took drama courses in the Moscow theatre schoo ...
and
Vera Karalli Vera Alexeyevna Karalli (russian: Вера Алексеевна Каралли; 27 July 1889 – 16 November 1972) was a Russian ballet dancer, choreographer and silent film actress during the early years of the 20th century. Early life and ca ...
in
Yevgeni Bauer Yevgeni Franzevich Bauer (russian: Евгений Францевич Бауэр) (1865 – ) was a Russian film director of silent films, a theatre artist and a screenwriter. His work had a great influence on the aesthetics of Russian cinemat ...
's ''
After Death (1915 film) After Death (russian: По́сле сме́рти, ''Pósle smérti'', "After death") is a 1915 Russian film directed by Yevgeni Bauer. Plot The film is based on the novella ''Klara Milich'' (1883) by Ivan Turgenev. "Reclusive young man Andrei ...
'' File:Moszhuserge.jpg,
Ivan Mosjoukine Ivan Ilyich Mozzhukhin ( rus, Иван Ильич Мозжухин, p=ɪˈvan ɨˈlʲjitɕ mɐˈʑːʉxʲɪn; —18 January 1939), usually billed using the French transliteration Ivan Mosjoukine, was a Russian silent film actor. Career in R ...
as the title character in Volkoff/ Protazanov's 1917 film, ''
Father Sergius "Father Sergius" (russian: Отец Сергий, Otets Sergiy) is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy between 1890 and 1898 and first published (posthumously) in 1911.Julian Connolly in Charles A. Moser (ed.), ''The Cambridge History of Russian ...
''. It was the last film of the Russian Empire era


Cinema of the Soviet Union


Early Soviet cinema (1917–1953)

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
was the first political leader of the twentieth century to recognize the importance of film. He saw film as a way to unite the nation over which the
Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
, then a minority party of some 200,000 members, had assumed leadership. His government gave top priority to the rapid development of the Soviet film industry, which was nationalized in August 1919 and put under the direct authority of Lenin's wife,
Nadezhda Krupskaya Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya ( rus, links=no, Надежда Константиновна Крупская, p=nɐˈdʲeʐdə kənstɐnˈtʲinəvnə ˈkrupskəjə; 27 February 1939) was a Russian revolutionary and the wife of Vladimir Lenin ...
. One of the first acts of the Cinema Committee was to create a professional film school in Moscow to train directors, technicians, and actors for the cinema. The All Union State Institute of Cinematography was the first such school in the world.
Lev Kuleshov Lev Vladimirovich Kuleshov (russian: Лев Владимирович Кулешов; – 29 March 1970) was a Russian and Soviet filmmaker and film theorist, one of the founders of the world's first film school, the Moscow Film School. He ...
, who taught at the school, formulated the groundbreaking editing process called
montage Montage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Filmmaking and films * Montage (filmmaking), a technique in film editing * ''Montage'' (2013 film), a South Korean film Music * Montage (music), or sound collage * ''Montage'' (Block B EP), 201 ...
, which he conceived of as an expressive process whereby dissimilar images could be linked together to create non-literal or symbolic meaning. His work has been referred to as the
Kuleshov effect The Kuleshov effect is a film editing (montage) effect demonstrated by Russian film-maker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910s and 1920s. It is a mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a ...
. Two of Kuleshov's most famous students were
Sergey Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (russian: Сергей Михайлович Эйзенштейн, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ ɪjzʲɪnˈʂtʲejn, 2=Sergey Mikhaylovich Eyzenshteyn; 11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenw ...
and
Vsevolod Pudovkin Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin ( rus, Всеволод Илларионович Пудовкин, p=ˈfsʲevələt ɪlərʲɪˈonəvʲɪtɕ pʊˈdofkʲɪn; 16 February 1893 – 30 June 1953) was a Russian and Soviet film director, screenwriter ...
. Although
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
was the dominant language in films during the Soviet era, the cinema of the Soviet Union encompassed films of the
Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...
,
Georgian SSR The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgian SSR; ka, საქართველოს საბჭოთა სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა, tr; russian: Грузинская Советская Соц ...
,
Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
, and, to a lesser degree,
Lithuanian SSR The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; lt, Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika; russian: Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика, Litovskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialistiche ...
,
Belorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор ...
, and
Moldavian SSR The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic ( ro, Republica Sovietică Socialistă Moldovenească, Moldovan Cyrillic: ) was one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union which existed from 1940 to 1991. The republic was formed on 2 August 1940 ...
. For much of the Soviet Union's history, with notable exceptions in the 1920s and the late 1980s, film content was heavily circumscribed and subject to censorship and bureaucratic state control. The development of the soviet film industry was innovative and linked with the Constructivist art movement. In 1922-3, Kino-Fot became the first Soviet cinema magazine and reflected the constructivist views of its editor,
Aleksei Gan Aleksei Mikhailovich Gan (Russian: Алексей Михайлович Ган; born Imberkh; 1887 or 1893 – 8 September, 1942) was a Russian anarchist and later Marxist avant-garde artist, art theorist and graphic designer. Gan was a key fi ...
. As with much Soviet art during the 1920s, films addressed major social and political events of the time. An important film of this period was
Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (russian: Сергей Михайлович Эйзенштейн, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ ɪjzʲɪnˈʂtʲejn, 2=Sergey Mikhaylovich Eyzenshteyn; 11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenw ...
's ''
The Battleship Potemkin '' Battleship Potemkin'' (russian: Бронено́сец «Потёмкин», ''Bronenosets Potyomkin''), sometimes rendered as ''Battleship Potyomkin'', is a 1925 Soviet silent drama film produced by Mosfilm. Directed and co-written by S ...
'', not only because of its depiction of events leading up to the 1905 Revolution, but also because of innovative cinematic techniques, such as the use of jump-cuts to achieve political ends. To this day, ''Battleship Potemkin'' is considered one of the
greatest films of all time This is a list of films considered the best in national and international surveys of critics and the public. Some surveys focus on all films, while others focus on a particular genre or country. Voting systems differ, and some surveys suffer ...
.
Vsevolod Pudovkin Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin ( rus, Всеволод Илларионович Пудовкин, p=ˈfsʲevələt ɪlərʲɪˈonəvʲɪtɕ pʊˈdofkʲɪn; 16 February 1893 – 30 June 1953) was a Russian and Soviet film director, screenwriter ...
developed a new theory of montage based on cognitive linkage rather than dialectical collision. Pudovkin's ''
Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...
'' (1926) was internationally acclaimed for its montage, as well as for its emotional qualities. Later Pudovkin was publicly charged with formalism for his experimental sound film ''
A Simple Case ''A Simple Case'' (russian: Простой случай; ') is a 1932 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Mikhail Doller. Pudovkin was publicly charged with formalism for this experimental sound film and was forced to release without ...
'' (1932), which he was forced to release without its sound track. Two other key filmmakers of the Soviet silent era were
Aleksandr Dovzhenko Oleksandr Petrovych Dovzhenko or Alexander Petrovich Dovzhenko ( uk, Олександр Петрович Довженко, ''Oleksandr Petrovych Dovzhenko''; russian: Алекса́ндр Петро́вич Довже́нко, ''Aleksandr Petro ...
and
Dziga Vertov Dziga Vertov (russian: Дзига Вертов, born David Abelevich Kaufman, russian: Дави́д А́белевич Ка́уфман, and also known as Denis Kaufman; – 12 February 1954) was a Soviet Union, Soviet pioneer documentary f ...
. Dovzhenko's best known work is his ''Ukraine Trilogy'', and more specifically the film ''
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
'' (1930). Vertov is well-known for his film ''
Man with a Movie Camera ''Man with a Movie Camera'' (russian: Человек с киноаппаратом, translit=Chelovek s kinoapparatom) is an experimental 1929 Soviet silent documentary film, directed by Dziga Vertov, filmed by his brother Mikhail Kaufman, an ...
'' (1929) and the
Kino-Eye Kino-Eye (Anglophonic: Cine-Eye) is a film technique developed in Soviet Russia by Dziga Vertov. It was also the name of the movement and group that was defined by this technique. Kino-Eye was Vertov's means of capturing what he believed to be "ina ...
theory - that the camera, like the human eye, is best used to explore real life, which had a huge impact on documentary filmmaking. However, with the consolidation of Stalinist power in the Soviet Union, and the emergence of
Socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...
as state policy, which carried over from painting and sculpture into filmmaking, Soviet film became subject to almost total state control. Films released in the 1930s include the popular musicals ''
Jolly Fellows ''Jolly Fellows'' (russian: Весёлые ребята, Vesyolye rebyata), also translated as ''Happy-Go-Lucky Guys'', ''Moscow Laughs'' and ''Jazz Comedy'', is a 1934 Soviet musical film, directed by Grigori Aleksandrov and starring his wife L ...
'' (1934), ''
Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...
'' (1936) and ''
Volga-Volga ''Volga-Volga'' (russian: Волга-Волга) is a Soviet musical comedy directed by Grigori Aleksandrov, released on April 24, 1938. It centres on a group of amateur performers on their way to Moscow to perform in a talent contest called th ...
'' (1938) directed by the longtime collaborator of Sergei Eisenstein,
Grigori Aleksandrov Grigori Vasilyevich Aleksandrov or Alexandrov (russian: Григо́рий Васи́льевич Алекса́ндров; original family name was Мормоненко or Mormonenko; 23 January 1903 – 16 December 1983) was a prominent Soviet ...
. These films starred leading actress of the time
Lyubov Orlova Lyubov Petrovna Orlova (russian: link=no, Любовь Петровна Орлова ; – 26 January 1975) was a Soviet and Russian actress, singer, dancer and People's Artist of the USSR (1950). Life and career She was born to a family o ...
, who was also Aleksandrov's wife. ''
The New Gulliver ''The New Gulliver'' (russian: Новый Гулливер, ''Novyy Gullivyer'') is a Soviet stop motion-animated cartoon, and the first to make such extensive use of puppet animation, running almost all the way through the film (it begins and ends ...
'' (1935) by
Aleksandr Ptushko Aleksandr Lukich Ptushko (russian: Александр Лукич Птушко, – 6 March 1973) was a Soviet animation and fantasy film director, and a People's Artist of the USSR (1969). Ptushko is frequently (and somewhat misleadingly) referred ...
is a landmark in stop-motion animation. In the 1930s and the 1940s Eisenstein directed two historical epics – ''
Aleksandr Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Gran ...
'' (1938) and ''
Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan ...
'' (1944). Both films were scored by composer
Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...
. Immediately after the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the Soviet color films such as ''
The Stone Flower "The Stone Flower" ( rus, Каменный цветок, Kamennyj tsvetok, p=ˈkamʲɪnːɨj tsvʲɪˈtok), also known as "The Flower of Stone", is a folk tale (also known as ''skaz'') of the Ural region of Russia collected and reworked by Pave ...
'' (1947) by
Aleksandr Ptushko Aleksandr Lukich Ptushko (russian: Александр Лукич Птушко, – 6 March 1973) was a Soviet animation and fantasy film director, and a People's Artist of the USSR (1969). Ptushko is frequently (and somewhat misleadingly) referred ...
, ''
Ballad of Siberia ''The Ballad of Siberia'' (in ), also known as ''Symphony of Life'', produced by Mosfilm and released in 1948, was the Soviet Union's second color film (after ''The Stone Flower''). It was directed by Ivan Pyryev and starred Vladimir Druzhnikov an ...
'' (1947), and ''
Cossacks of the Kuban ''Cossacks of the Kuban'' () from Mosfilm is a color film, glorifying the life of the farmers in the kolkhoz of the Soviet Union's Kuban region, directed by Ivan Pyryev and starring Marina Ladynina, his wife at that time.Ivan Pyryev Ivan Aleksandrovich Pyryev (russian: Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Пы́рьев; – 7 February 1968) was a Soviet-Russian film director and screenwriter remembered as the high priest of Stalinist cinema. He was awarded six Stali ...
, were released. Soviet cinema went into rapid decline after the World War II: film production fell from 19 features in 1945 to 5 in 1952. The situation did not improve until the late 1950s when Soviet films achieved critical success partly as a result, similar to the cinema of other Eastern Bloc countries, for reflecting the tension between independent creativity and state-directed outcomes.


Late Soviet cinema (1953–1990)

In the late 1950s and early 1960s Soviet film-makers were given a less constricted environment, and while censorship remained, films emerged which began to be recognised outside the Soviet bloc such as '' Ballad of a Soldier'' by
Grigory Chukhray Grigory Naumovich Chukhray (russian: Григо́рий Нау́мович Чухра́й; uk, Григорiй Наумович Чухрай; 23 May 1921 – 28 October 2001) was a Ukrainian Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. ...
which won the 1961
BAFTA Award for Best Film The BAFTA Award for Best Film is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. It has been given since the 1st BAFTA Awards, representing the best films of 1947, but until ...
and the 1958
Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
winning ''
The Cranes Are Flying ''The Cranes Are Flying'' (russian: Летят журавли, translit. ''Letyat zhuravli'') is a 1957 Soviet film about the Second World War. It depicts the cruelty of war and the damage done to the Soviet psyche as a result of war, which ...
'' by
Mikhail Kalatozov Mikhail Konstantinovich Kalatozov ( ka, მიხეილ კალატოზიშვილი, russian: Михаил Константинович Калатозов; 28 December 1903 – 26 March 1973), born Mikheil Kalatozishvili, was a So ...
. ''
The Height ''The Height'' (Russian: Высота, Translit.: Vysota) is a 1957 Soviet drama film produced at Mosfilm and directed by Aleksander Zarkhi after the novel of the same name written by Evgeny Vorobyov. It stars Nikolai Rybnikov and Inna Makarov ...
'' (1957) by Aleksander Zarkhi is considered to be one of the best films of the 1950s (it also became the foundation of the Bard movement). Yet, some films did not receive a wide release; ''
The Story of Asya Klyachina ''The Story of Asya Klyachina'' (russian: История Аси Клячиной, которая любила, да не вышла замуж, ''Istoriya Asi Klyachinoy, kotoraya lyubila, da ne vyshla zamuzh'', also known as ''Asya's Happiness'' ...
'' (1966) by
Andrei Konchalovsky Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky (russian: link=no, Андрей Сергеевич Михалков-Кончаловский; born 20 August 1937) is a Russian filmmaker. He has worked in Soviet, Hollywood, and contemporary Russian ...
, ''
Commissar Commissar (or sometimes ''Kommissar'') is an English transliteration of the Russian (''komissar''), which means 'commissary'. In English, the transliteration ''commissar'' often refers specifically to the political commissars of Soviet and Eas ...
'' (1967) by Aleksandr Askoldov, ''
Brief Encounters ''Brief Encounters'' is a studio album by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 2009 by independent label Just Good Music for Your Ears. Background Amanda Lear met the singer and producer Enrico Petrelli in Paris in 2008, and started working ...
'' (1967) by
Kira Muratova , honorific_suffix = People's Artist of Ukraine , birth_date = , birth_place = Soroca, Kingdom of Romania(now Moldova) , death_date = , death_place = Odessa, Ukraine , birth_name = Kira Gueórguievn ...
and ''
Trial on the Road ''Trial on the Road'' (russian: Проверка на дорогах, translit=''Proverka na dorogakh'') is a 1971 black-and-white Cinema of the Soviet Union, Soviet film set in World War II, directed by Aleksei Yuryevich German, Aleksey German, st ...
'' (1971) by Aleksei German. The most critically acclaimed Russian director of the 1960s and 1970s was
Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky ( rus, Андрей Арсеньевич Тарковский, p=ɐnˈdrʲej ɐrˈsʲenʲjɪvʲɪtɕ tɐrˈkofskʲɪj; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Russian filmmaker. Widely considered one of the greates ...
, who directed the groundbreaking art-house films ''
Ivan's Childhood ''Ivan's Childhood'' (russian: Ива́ново де́тство, ''Ivanovo detstvo''), sometimes released as ''My Name Is Ivan'' in the US, is a 1962 Soviet war drama film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Co-written by Mikhail Papava, Andrei Konch ...
'', ''
Andrei Rublev Andrei Rublev ( rus, Андре́й Рублёв, p=ɐnˈdrʲej rʊˈblʲɵf , also transliterated as ''Andrey Rublyov'') was a Muscovite icon painter born in the 1360s who died between 1427 and 1430 in Moscow. He is considered to be one of the ...
'', ''
Solaris Solaris may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature, television and film * ''Solaris'' (novel), a 1961 science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem ** ''Solaris'' (1968 film), directed by Boris Nirenburg ** ''Solaris'' (1972 film), directed by ...
'', ''
Mirror A mirror or looking glass is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the ...
'' and '' Stalker''. His films won awards at Cannes and Venice Film Festival. His debut film ''
Ivan's Childhood ''Ivan's Childhood'' (russian: Ива́ново де́тство, ''Ivanovo detstvo''), sometimes released as ''My Name Is Ivan'' in the US, is a 1962 Soviet war drama film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Co-written by Mikhail Papava, Andrei Konch ...
'' won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 1962. Tarkovsky's film ''
Andrei Rublev Andrei Rublev ( rus, Андре́й Рублёв, p=ɐnˈdrʲej rʊˈblʲɵf , also transliterated as ''Andrey Rublyov'') was a Muscovite icon painter born in the 1360s who died between 1427 and 1430 in Moscow. He is considered to be one of the ...
'' (1966) won the
FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
prize at the 1969 Cannes Festival. For '' Stalker'' (1979), Tarkovsky won the Ecumenical Jury Prize in Cannes in 1980. He also won the Special Grand Prize for ''
Solaris Solaris may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature, television and film * ''Solaris'' (novel), a 1961 science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem ** ''Solaris'' (1968 film), directed by Boris Nirenburg ** ''Solaris'' (1972 film), directed by ...
'' in 1972 and for ''
Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...
'' at Cannes in 1986. Other notable Soviet directors include
Sergei Bondarchuk Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...
, Sergey Paradzhanov,
Larisa Shepitko Larisa Yefimovna Shepitko (, uk, Лариса Юхимівна Шепітько, translit=Larysa Yukhymivna Shepitko; 6 January 1938 – 2 July 1979) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter and actress. She is considered one of the best fema ...
,
Kira Muratova , honorific_suffix = People's Artist of Ukraine , birth_date = , birth_place = Soroca, Kingdom of Romania(now Moldova) , death_date = , death_place = Odessa, Ukraine , birth_name = Kira Gueórguievn ...
,
Marlen Khutsiev Marlen Martynovich Khutsiev (russian: Марле́н Марты́нович Хуци́ев; 4 October 1925 – 19 March 2019) was a Georgian-born Soviet and Russian filmmaker best known for his cult films from the 1960s, which include ''I Am Twent ...
,
Mikhail Kalatozov Mikhail Konstantinovich Kalatozov ( ka, მიხეილ კალატოზიშვილი, russian: Михаил Константинович Калатозов; 28 December 1903 – 26 March 1973), born Mikheil Kalatozishvili, was a So ...
,
Nikita Mikhalkov Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (russian: Никита Сергеевич Михалков; born 21 October 1945) is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union. Mikhalkov is a three-time laureate of the ...
,
Vladimir Menshov Vladimir Valentinovich Menshov (russian: Влади́мир Валенти́нович Меньшо́в; 17 September 1939 – 5 July 2021)Gleb Panfilov Gleb Anatolyevich Panfilov (russian: Глеб Анатольевич Панфилов, link=no; born 21 May 1934 in Magnitogorsk) is an internationally acclaimed Russian film director noted for a string of mostly historical films starring his wif ...
. ''
The Seventh Companion ''The Seventh Companion'' (russian: Седьмой спутник, translit=''Sed'moy sputnik'') is a 1967 Soviet drama film set in Petrograd in the years following the Russian Revolution. The film marked the directorial debut of Russian director ...
'' (1967) marked the debut of film director Aleksei German. Due to Soviet censorship, his film ''
Trial on the Road ''Trial on the Road'' (russian: Проверка на дорогах, translit=''Proverka na dorogakh'') is a 1971 black-and-white Cinema of the Soviet Union, Soviet film set in World War II, directed by Aleksei Yuryevich German, Aleksey German, st ...
'' (1971) was shelved for 15 years. His son Aleksei is also a director.
Sergei Bondarchuk Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...
initially came to prominence as an actor. His directorial debut was ''
Fate of a Man ''Fate of a Man'' (russian: Судьба человека, translit. Sudba Cheloveka), also released as ''A Man's Destiny'' and ''Destiny of a Man'' is a 1959 Soviet film adaptation of the short story by Mikhail Sholokhov, and also the directori ...
'' which was released in 1959. Bondarchuk is best known for directing and starring in the Academy Award winning adaptation ''
War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...
'' (1967). His son
Fyodor Bondarchuk Fyodor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk (russian: link=no, Фёдор Сергеевич Бондарчук ; born 9 May 1967) is a Russian film director, actor, TV and film producer, clipmaker, TV host, founder of production company Art Pictures Studio. ...
is also a film director and producer. Among other critically acclaimed literary adaptations from the 1960s was Grigory Kozintsev's ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' (1964), winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Russian actor
Nikita Mikhalkov Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (russian: Никита Сергеевич Михалков; born 21 October 1945) is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union. Mikhalkov is a three-time laureate of the ...
had his feature directorial debut in 1974 with ''
At Home Among Strangers ''Friend to Foes, Foe to Friends'' (russian: Свой среди чужих, чужой среди своих; ''Svoy sredi chuzhikh, chuzhoy sredi svoikh'') is a 1974 Soviet film starring Yuri Bogatyryov and Anatoly Solonitsyn and directed by Ni ...
''. His brother,
Andrey Konchalovsky Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky (russian: link=no, Андрей Сергеевич Михалков-Кончаловский; born 20 August 1937) is a Russian filmmaker. He has worked in Soviet, Hollywood, and contemporary Russian ...
, is also an award winning director. Konchalovsky had his directorial debut with ''
The First Teacher ''The First Teacher'' (russian: Первый учитель, Pervyy uchitel) is a 1965 drama film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. It is his first full-length work, based on the book by Chinghiz Aitmatov. Synopsis The action takes place in th ...
'' in 1965, which won an award at the Venice Film Festival (Best Actress -
Natalya Arinbasarova Natalya Utevlevna Arinbasarova (russian: Наталья Утевлевна Аринбасарова, kk, Наталья Өтеуліқызы Орынбасарова; born 24 September 1946 in Moscow)Kira Muratova , honorific_suffix = People's Artist of Ukraine , birth_date = , birth_place = Soroca, Kingdom of Romania(now Moldova) , death_date = , death_place = Odessa, Ukraine , birth_name = Kira Gueórguievn ...
faced censorship during the Soviet era and only started to receive public recognition and first awards during
Perestroyka ''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...
. Her film ''
Among Grey Stones ''Among Grey Stones'' (russian: Среди серых камней, Sredi serykh kamney) is a 1983 Soviet drama film directed by Kira Muratova. The film suffered a lot from the Soviet censorship and was edited without the acceptance of Muratova, ...
'' (1983) was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. Comedy genre was always the most popular one in Russia and the Soviet union with the highest number of box-office successes. Most popular Soviet comedies of the era were directed by
Leonid Gaidai Leonid Iovich Gaidai (russian: Леонид Иович Гайдай; 30 January 1923 – 19 November 1993) was a Soviet and Russian comedy film director, screenwriter and actor who enjoyed immense popularity and broad public recognition in the fo ...
,
Eldar Ryazanov Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov (russian: Эльдар Александрович Рязанов; 18 November 1927 – 30 November 2015) was a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter, poet, actor and pedagogue whose popular comedies, satiriz ...
and
Georgiy Daneliya Georgiy Nikolayevich Daneliya ( ka, გიორგი ნიკოლოზის ძე დანელია; russian: Георгий Николаевич Данелия; 25 August 1930 – 4 April 2019), also known as Giya Daneliya ( ka, გ ...
, such as ''
Carnival Night ''Carnival Night'' (russian: Карнавальная ночь, Karnavalnaya noch) is a 1956 Soviet musical film. It is Eldar Ryazanov's first big-screen film, Lyudmila Gurchenko's first role and also one of the most famous films starring popular ...
'' (1956), ''
The Irony of Fate ''The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!'' (russian: Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром!, literally: The Irony of Fate, or With A Light Steam; trans. ''Ironiya sudby, ili S lyogkim parom!''), usually shortened to ''The ...
'' (1976), ''
Kidnapping, Caucasian Style ''Kidnapping, Caucasian Style'' (russian: link=no, Кавказская пленница, или Новые приключения Шурика) is a 1967 Soviet comedy film dealing with a humorous plot revolving around bride kidnapping, an old t ...
'' (1967), ''
Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures ''Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures'' (russian: Операция „Ы“ и другие приключения Шурика, Operatsiya „Yery“ i drugie priklyucheniya Shurika) is a 1965 Soviet slapstick comedy film directed by Leoni ...
'' (1965), ''
The Twelve Chairs ''The Twelve Chairs'' ( rus, Двенадцать стульев, Dvenadtsat stulyev) is a classic satirical novel by the Odesan Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov, published in 1928. Its plot follows characters attempting to obtain jewelry hidden ...
'' (1976), ''
Walking the Streets of Moscow ''Walking the Streets of Moscow'' (''I walk across Moscow'', russian: link=no, italics=yes, Я шагаю по Москве) is a 1964 Soviet film directed by Georgiy Daneliya and produced by Mosfilm studios. It stars Nikita Mihalkov, Aleksei Lokt ...
'' (1964), ''
Gentlemen of Fortune ''Gentlemen of Fortune'' (russian: Джентльмены удачи, Dzhentlmeny udachi) is a 1971 Soviet crime comedy film, filmed at Mosfilm and directed by Aleksandr Sery. The stars of the film include famous Soviet actors such as Yevgeny Leon ...
'' (1971). Soviet filmmakers also produced historical adventure films, such as ''
D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers ''D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers'' (russian: Д'Артаньян и три мушкетёра, ''D'Artanyan i tri mushketyora'') is a three-part swashbuckler musical miniseries produced in the Soviet Union and first aired in 1978. It is based o ...
'' (1978) and ''
Gardes-Marines, Ahead! ''Gardes-Marines, Ahead!'' or (russian: Гардемарины, вперёд!, Gardemariny, vperyod!) is a 1988 Soviet four-series television film (mini-series), the first of a series of films about Russian Gardes-Marines of the 18th century, dire ...
'' (1988). Among those, "
ostern The Ostern (Eastern; , ''Istern''; or остерн) or Red Western was a film genre created in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc as a variation of the Western films that originated in the United States. The word "Ostern" is a portmanteau derived ...
s", the Soviet take on the westerns, became also popular. Examples of the Ostern include ''
White Sun of the Desert ''White Sun of the Desert'' (russian: Белое солнце пустыни, Beloye solntse pustyni) is a 1970 Soviet Ostern film. Its blend of action, comedy, music and drama, as well as memorable quotes, made it highly successful at the Russi ...
'' (1970), ''
The Headless Horseman The Headless Horseman is a fictional character that appears in many venues. Headless Horseman may also refer to: * Headless Horseman ("Legend of Sleepy Hollow"), a character in the 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irv ...
'' (1972), '' Armed and Dangerous'' (1977), ''
A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines ''A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines'' (russian: Человек с бульвара Капуцинов, Chelovek s bulvara Kaputsinov) is a Red Western comedy film of 1987 (Mosfilm production), with nods to silent film and the transforming powe ...
'' (1987). On TV, mystery and spy miniseries were prevalent, such as ''
Seventeen Moments of Spring ''Seventeen Moments of Spring'' (russian: Семнадцать мгновений весны, Semnadtsat' mgnoveniy vesny) is a 1973 Soviet twelve-part television series, directed by Tatyana Lioznova and based on the novel of the same title by Yu ...
,
The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed ''The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed'' (russian: link=no, Место встречи изменить нельзя, translit. ''Mesto vstrechi izmenit nelzya'') is a 1979 Soviet five-part television miniseries directed by Stanislav Govor ...
,
Investigation Held by ZnaToKi ''Investigation Led by ZnaToKi'', or ''Investigation Led by Experts'' (russian: Следствие ведут ЗнаТоКи, translit. ''Sledstvie vedut ZnaToKi'') was a popular 1971-1989 Soviet detective TV-series with two Russian series (2 ...
'' and a faithful adaptation of Sherlock Holmes stories starring Vasily Livanov as Holmes. A respective amount of World War II dramas made in the 1970s and the 1980s were acclaimed internationally, some of which are ''
Liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...
'' (1971) by Yuri Ozerov, ''
The Dawns Here Are Quiet ''The Dawns Here Are Quiet'' (russian: А зори здесь тихие, A zori zdes tikhie) is a 1972 Soviet war drama directed by Stanislav Rostotsky based on Boris Vasilyev's novel of the same name. The film deals with antiwar themes and fo ...
'' (1972) by
Stanislav Rostotsky Stanislav Iosifovich Rostotsky (russian: Станислав Иосифович Ростоцкий; 21 April 1922, in Rybinsk – 10 August 2001, in Vyborg) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter, the recipient of the two USSR State Prize ...
, '' They Fought for Their Country'' (1975) by
Sergei Bondarchuk Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...
, '' The Ascent'' (1977) by
Larisa Shepitko Larisa Yefimovna Shepitko (, uk, Лариса Юхимівна Шепітько, translit=Larysa Yukhymivna Shepitko; 6 January 1938 – 2 July 1979) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter and actress. She is considered one of the best fema ...
and ''
Come and See ''Come and See'' (russian: Иди и смотри, ''Idi i smotri''; be, Ідзі і глядзі, ''Idzi i hliadzi'') is a 1985 Soviet anti-war film directed by Elem Klimov and starring Aleksei Kravchenko and Olga Mironova. Its screenplay, wr ...
'' (1985) by
Elem Klimov Elem Germanovich Klimov (russian: link=no, Элем Германович Климов; 9 July 1933 – 26 October 2003) was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker. He studied at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, and was married to film dire ...
. Co-production between Soviet Union and Japan, ''
Dersu Uzala Dersu Uzala (russian: Дерсу Узала; 1849–1908) was a Nanai trapper and hunter. He worked as a guide for Vladimir Arsenyev who immortalized him in his 1923 book '' Dersu Uzala''. The book was adapted into two feature films, with the ve ...
'', adapted from Vladimir Arsenyev’s book, directed by
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...
and starring Maxim Munzuk and Yuri Solomin, won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Picture in 1976. The film was a box-office success and ended up reviving Kurosawa's career.
Yuri Norstein Yuri Borisovich Norstein, People's Artist of Russia, PAR (russian: link=no, Ю́рий Бори́сович Норште́йн; born 15 September 1941) is a Soviet and Russian animator best known for his animated shorts ''Hedgehog in the Fog'' an ...
is perhaps the most famous Russian animator of the Soviet period; his animated shorts ''
Hedgehog in the Fog ''Hedgehog in the Fog'' ( rus, Ёжик в тумане, r=Yózhik v tumáne, p=ˈjɵʐɨk f tʊˈmanʲɪ) is a 1975 Soviet animated film directed by Yuri Norstein and produced by the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow. The Russian script was written ...
'' and '' Tale of Tales'' gained worldwide recognition and have served as inspiration for many filmmakers. Larisa Shepitko's film '' The Ascent'' was the first Soviet movie to win the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1977. Romantic drama ''
Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears ''Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears'' (russian: Москва слезам не верит, Moskva slezam ne verit) is a 1980 Soviet romantic drama film made by Mosfilm. It was written by Valentin Chernykh and directed by Vladimir Menshov. The leadi ...
'' by
Vladimir Menshov Vladimir Valentinovich Menshov (russian: Влади́мир Валенти́нович Меньшо́в; 17 September 1939 – 5 July 2021)Come and See ''Come and See'' (russian: Иди и смотри, ''Idi i smotri''; be, Ідзі і глядзі, ''Idzi i hliadzi'') is a 1985 Soviet anti-war film directed by Elem Klimov and starring Aleksei Kravchenko and Olga Mironova. Its screenplay, wr ...
'' by
Elem Klimov Elem Germanovich Klimov (russian: link=no, Элем Германович Климов; 9 July 1933 – 26 October 2003) was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker. He studied at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, and was married to film dire ...
received the
FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
prize at the 1985 Moscow Film Festival. Science fiction film ''
Dead Man's Letters ''Dead Man's Letters'' (russian: Письма мёртвого человека, Pis'ma myortvogo cheloveka), also known as ''Letters from a Dead Man'', is a 1986 Soviet post-apocalyptic drama film directed and written by Konstantin Lopushansky. ...
'' (1986), directorial debut of
Konstantin Lopushansky Konstantin Sergeyevich Lopushansky (russian: Константин Сергеевич Лопушанский; born June 12, 1947) is a Soviet and Russian film director, film theorist and author. He is best known for directing the apocalyptic and p ...
, was screened at the International Critics' Week section of the Cannes Film Festival in 1987 and received the
FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
prize at the 35th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg. His follow-up film '' A Visitor to a Museum'' (1989) was entered into the Moscow Film Festival where it won the Silver St. George and the Prix of Ecumenical Jury. In the 1980s Russian director
Andrei Konchalovsky Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky (russian: link=no, Андрей Сергеевич Михалков-Кончаловский; born 20 August 1937) is a Russian filmmaker. He has worked in Soviet, Hollywood, and contemporary Russian ...
was the first filmmaker to find success in Hollywood. In America he directed ''
Maria's Lovers ''Maria's Lovers'' is a 1984 American drama film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and starring Nastassja Kinski, John Savage, and Robert Mitchum. The plot follows a soldier returning from World War II who marries the woman of his dreams, but he ...
'' (1984), ''
Runaway Train A runaway train is a type of railroad incident in which unattended rolling stock is accidentally allowed to roll onto the main line, a moving train loses enough braking power to be unable to stop in safety, or a train operates at unsafe speeds d ...
'' (1985) and ''
Tango & Cash ''Tango & Cash'' is a 1989 American buddy cop action comedy film starring Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Jack Palance and Teri Hatcher. Stallone and Russell star as Raymond Tango and Gabriel Cash respectively, two rival LAPD narcotics detect ...
'' (1989). With the onset of
Perestroika ''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...
and
Glasnost ''Glasnost'' (; russian: link=no, гласность, ) has several general and specific meanings – a policy of maximum openness in the activities of state institutions and freedom of information, the inadmissibility of hushing up problems, ...
in the mid-1980s, Soviet films emerged which began to address formerly censored topics, such as drug addiction, '' The Needle'' (1988) by
Rashid Nugmanov Rashid Nugmanov (also written Rachid Nougmanov; russian: Рашид Мусаевич Нугманов; born March 19, 1954, in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan) is a Kazakhs, Kazakh film director, dissent, dissident, political activistDruker, Jeremy, (2003-11- ...
, which starred rock singer
Viktor Tsoi Viktor Robertovich Tsoi (russian: Виктор Робертович Цой; ; 21 June 1962 – 15 August 1990) was a Soviet singer and songwriter who co-founded Kino, one of the most popular and musically influential bands in the history of ...
, and sexuality and alienation in Soviet society, ''
Little Vera ''Little Vera'' (russian: links=no, italics=yes, Маленькая Вера, Malenkaya Vera), produced by Gorky Film Studio and released in 1988, is a film by Russian film director Vasili Pichul. The title in Russian is ambiguous and can also mea ...
'' (1988) by
Vasili Pichul Vasili Vladimirovich Pichul (russian: Васи́лий Влади́мирович Пи́чул; 15 June 1961 – 26 July 2015) was a Soviet and Russian film director, best known for his film ''Little Vera'' (Маленькая Вера, "Malenkaya ...
. However, the industry suffered from drastically reduced state subsidies and the state-controlled film distribution system also collapsed, leading to the dominance of western films in Russia's theatres. Several Soviet films have received
Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
; ''
War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...
'', ''
Dersu Uzala Dersu Uzala (russian: Дерсу Узала; 1849–1908) was a Nanai trapper and hunter. He worked as a guide for Vladimir Arsenyev who immortalized him in his 1923 book '' Dersu Uzala''. The book was adapted into two feature films, with the ve ...
'', ''
Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears ''Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears'' (russian: Москва слезам не верит, Moskva slezam ne verit) is a 1980 Soviet romantic drama film made by Mosfilm. It was written by Valentin Chernykh and directed by Vladimir Menshov. The leadi ...
''. File:Sergei Gerasimov 1941.JPG, Sergei Gerasimov, whose the oldest film school in the world, the
VGIK The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (russian: Всероссийский государственный институт кинематографии имени С. А. Герасимова, meaning ''All-Russian State Institute of Cinemat ...
, bears his name File:Lyubov Orlova in 1930s.jpg,
Lyubov Orlova Lyubov Petrovna Orlova (russian: link=no, Любовь Петровна Орлова ; – 26 January 1975) was a Soviet and Russian actress, singer, dancer and People's Artist of the USSR (1950). Life and career She was born to a family o ...
File:Andrei Konchalovsky at a press conference in Vienna, Austria in 2016.jpg,
Andrei Konchalovsky Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky (russian: link=no, Андрей Сергеевич Михалков-Кончаловский; born 20 August 1937) is a Russian filmmaker. He has worked in Soviet, Hollywood, and contemporary Russian ...
Каневский Леонид Семёнович (2010).JPG, Leonid Kanevsky


New Russian cinema


1990s

In the 1990s there were much fewer films being made as the cinema industry was experiencing big changes and the economy was uncertain. From 300 in 1990 the number fell to 213 in 1991, 172 in 1992, 152 in 1993, to 68 in 1994, 46 in 1995 and 28 in 1996. In 1990 censorship was abolished on an official level: the state could no longer interfere in the production and distribution of films, except in cases of war propaganda, disclosure of state secrets, and pornography. As part of the abolition of all central Soviet administrative units, the Cinema Committee of the USSR was dissolved in 1991. Russian cinema of the 90s acquired new features and themes, with the Chechen war also affecting filmmakers. Many films of that time dealt with war and Stalinism.
Kinotavr Kinotavr (russian: Кинотавр), also known as the Sochi Open Russian Film Festival is an open film festival held in the resort city of Sochi, Russia annually in June since 1991, until it was cancelled in the wake of the 2022 Russian invasio ...
was first held in 1990 in
Podolsk Podolsk ( rus, Подольск, p=pɐˈdolʲsk) is an industrial city, center of Podolsk Urban Okrug, Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Pakhra River (a tributary of the Moskva River). History The first mentions of the village of Podol, w ...
, and then in 1991 in
Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...
, where it has been held ever since. The
Nika Award The Nika Award (sometimes styled NIKA Award) is the main annual national film award in Russia, presented by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science, and seen as the national equivalent of the Oscars. History The award was established i ...
, which is distributed by the Russian Film Academy, was founded in 1998. In 1990
Pavel Lungin Pavel Semyonovich Lungin (russian: Па́вел Семёнович Лунги́н; born 12 July 1949) is a Russian film director. He is sometimes credited as Pavel Loungine (as in the American release of ''Tycoon''). Lungin was awarded the distin ...
won the Best Director award for ''
Taxi Blues ''Taxi Blues'' (russian: Такси-блюз, translit. Taksi-Blyuz) is a 1990 Soviet drama film directed by Pavel Lungin. It was entered into the 1990 Cannes Film Festival where Lungin won the award for Best Director. The film was selecte ...
'', which starred rock musician Pyotr Mamonov in the lead role, at the Cannes Film Festival.
Nikita Mikhalkov Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (russian: Никита Сергеевич Михалков; born 21 October 1945) is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union. Mikhalkov is a three-time laureate of the ...
won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for ''
Close to Eden ''Urga'' (russian: У́рга — территория любви, ''Urga — territoriya lyobvi''; "Urga — Territory of Love") is a 1991 film by Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov. It was released in North America as ''Close to Eden''. It depict ...
'' in 1991. ''
The Chekist ''The Chekist'' (russian: Чекист) is a 1992 Russian-French historical drama film directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin, based on a 1923 short story by Vladimir Zazubrin. It tells the story of a bloody work and downfall of a Soviet Cheka security ...
'' directed by
Aleksandr Rogozhkin Aleksandr Vladimirovich Rogozhkin (russian: Алекса́ндр Влади́мирович Рого́жкин; 3 October 1949 – 23 October 2021) was a Russian film director and writer. Career In 1990, Rogozhkin directed ''Karaul'', which wo ...
was a drama set in the period of
Red Terror The Red Terror (russian: Красный террор, krasnyj terror) in Soviet Russia was a campaign of political repression and executions carried out by the Bolsheviks, chiefly through the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police. It started in lat ...
and told the story of a
Cheka The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ( rus, Всероссийская чрезвычайная комиссия, r=Vserossiyskaya chrezvychaynaya komissiya, p=fsʲɪrɐˈsʲijskəjə tɕrʲɪzvɨˈtɕæjnəjə kɐˈmʲisʲɪjə), abbreviated ...
leader who gradually becomes unhinged. It was screened in the
Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...
section at the
1992 Cannes Film Festival The 45th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 May 1992. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Den goda viljan'' by Bille August. The festival opened with ''Basic Instinct'', directed by Paul Verhoeven and closed with ''Far and Away'', directed by Ro ...
. The drama ''
Burnt by the Sun ''Burnt by the Sun'' (russian: Утомлённые солнцем, translit. ''Utomlyonnye solntsem'', literally "wearied by the sun") is a 1994 film by Russian director and screenwriter Nikita Mikhalkov and Azerbaijani screenwriter Rustam ...
'' (1994) by Nikita Mikhalkov is set in a small countryside community in the time when Stalinism starts to disrupt their idyllic retreat and alter their characters and fates. The film received an Oscar for
Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
and the Grand Prix du Jury at the
1994 Cannes Film Festival The 47th Cannes Film Festival was held from 12 to 23 May 1994. The Palme d'Or went to the American film ''Pulp Fiction'' directed by Quentin Tarantino. The festival opened with ''The Hudsucker Proxy'', directed by Joel Coen and closed with ''Seri ...
. In the context of the Russian World War II history
Pavel Chukhrai Pavel Grigoryevich Chukhray (russian: Па́вел Григо́рьевич Чухра́й; Bykovo, Moscow Oblast, October 14, 1946) is a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. He is the son of the prominent Russian film directo ...
filmed '' The Thief'' (1997), a movie about a mother who becomes romantically involved with a criminal who impersonates an officer. The film was awarded with 6 national prizes Nika, got a special prize in
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
and became the Oscar nominee. One of the first commercially successful post-Soviet films was the crime drama ''
Brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...
'' directed by
Aleksei Balabanov Aleksei Oktyabrinovich Balabanov (russian: Алeксeй Oктябpинoвич Балабанoв; 25 February 1959 – 18 May 2013) was a Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer, a member of European Film Academy. He started from c ...
. It was screened as part of the
Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...
section at the
1997 Cannes Film Festival The 50th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 May 1997 in film, 1997. The Palme d'Or was jointly awarded to ''Taste of Cherry, Ta'm e guilass'' by Abbas Kiarostami and ''The Eel (film), Unagi'' by Shohei Imamura. Jeanne Moreau was the mistre ...
. He also directed the sequel ''
Brother 2 ''Brother 2'' (russian: Брат 2, translit=Brat 2) is a 2000 Russian crime film. It is the sequel to the 1997 film ''Brother''. Much of it is set in Chicago. Plot The film opens with Danila Bagrov being interviewed on television with two f ...
'' in 2000. Valery Todorovsky's '' The Country of the Deaf'' (1998), a comedy film based on the screenplay by
Renata Litvinova Renata Muratovna Litvinova (russian: Рената Муратовна Литвинова; born 12 January 1967) is a Russian actress, film director, and screenwriter. Biography Litvinova was born in Moscow to Volga Tatar father Murat Aminovic ...
parodied Russia of the 90s. It described the journey of two female friends caught in the fight of two clans – the deaf and the hearing. It was entered in the
48th Berlin International Film Festival The 48th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 February 1998. The festival opened with the Irish film ''The Boxer'' by Jim Sheridan. Francis Ford Coppola's '' The Rainmaker'' was selected as the closing night film. Th ...
. In 1997
Aleksandr Sokurov Alexander Nikolayevich Sokurov, PAR (russian: link=no, Александр Николаевич Сокуров; born 14 June 1951) is a Russian filmmaker. His most significant works include a feature film, ''Russian Ark'' (2002), filmed in a s ...
had his international breakthrough with the arthouse drama ''
Mother and Son ''Mother and Son'' is an Australian television sitcom that was broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) from 16 January 1984 until 21 March 1994. The show stars Ruth Cracknell, Garry McDonald, Henri Szeps and Judy Morris. It ...
''. It won the Special Silver St. George at the 20th Moscow International Film Festival in 1997. 1998 film ''
Khrustalyov, My Car! ''Khrustalyov, My Car!'' (russian: Хрусталёв, машину!, Khrustalyov, mashinu!) is a 1998 Russian comedy-drama film directed by Aleksei German and written by German and Svetlana Karmalita. It was produced by Canal+, CNC, Goskino, ...
'' directed by Aleksei German described the last days of Stalinist Russia. It was entered in the
1998 Cannes Film Festival The 51st Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 1998. American director, producer, screenwriter, and film historian Martin Scorsese was the Jury President. The Palme d'Or went to the Greek film '' Mia aioniotita kai mia mera'' by Theo A ...
. Nikita Milhalkov's international co-production ''
The Barber of Siberia ''The Barber of Siberia'' (russian: Сибирский цирюльник, translit. ''Sibirskiy tsiryulnik'') is a 1998 Russian film that re-united the Academy Award-winning team of director Nikita Mikhalkov and producer Michel Seydoux. It ...
'' was screened at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. The film featured English and Russian actors. It was the first post-Soviet big budget feature film; the film cost 35 million dollars. Internationally co-produced film ''
East/West ''East/West'' (french: Est-Ouest; russian: Восток-Запад, Vostok-Zapad) is a 1999 drama film directed by Régis Wargnier, starring Sandrine Bonnaire, Oleg Menshikov, Catherine Deneuve and Sergei Bodrov Jr. It received generally positiv ...
'' (1999) starring
Sandrine Bonnaire Sandrine Bonnaire (; born 31 May 1967) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter who has appeared in more than 40 films. She won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for '' À Nos Amours'' (1983), the César Award for Best Actre ...
and
Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...
told the story of an emigre family living in Stalinist USSR. The film was nominated as Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, National Board of Review, and received four nominations at the César Awards. The satiric melodrama of
Dmitry Meskhiev Dmitry Dmitriyevich Meskhiev (russian: Дмитрий Дмитриевич Месхиев, born 31 October 1963) is a Russian film director. His 2004 film ''Our Own (2004 film), Our Own'' won the Golden George at the 26th Moscow International Fil ...
, ''
Women's Property ''Women's Property'' (russian: Женская собственность, Zhenskaya sobstvennost) is a Russian 1999 romantic drama based on the eponymous story by Valentin Chernykh, directed by Dmitry Meskhiev. Plot A young entrant, Andrei Kalinin ...
'' (1999) describes a love affair between a young student and an older actress who is incurably ill. Her death leads the protagonist to face bitter loneliness. The film starred
Yelena Safonova Yelena Vsevolodovna Safonova (russian: Еле́на Все́володовна Сафо́нова; born 14 June 1956 in Leningrad) is a former Soviet and a Russian actress. She is an Honored Artist of Russia (2011). She was made famous by the 198 ...
and featured actor
Konstantin Khabensky Konstantin Yurievich Khabensky, PAR (russian: link=no, Константин Юрьевич Хабенский; born 11 January 1972) is a Russian actor of stage and film, director and philanthropist. From 1997 he was part of the Saint Petersbu ...
in an early lead role. Cult crime comedy '' 8 ½ $'' (1999), directorial debut of Grigori Konstantinopolsky, starring
Ivan Okhlobystin Ivan Ivanovich Okhlobystin (russian: Ива́н Ива́нович Охлобы́стин; born 22 July 1966) is a Russian actor, director, screenwriter, and former Orthodox priest. He is currently defrocked by the ministry of the Russian Ort ...
and
Fyodor Bondarchuk Fyodor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk (russian: link=no, Фёдор Сергеевич Бондарчук ; born 9 May 1967) is a Russian film director, actor, TV and film producer, clipmaker, TV host, founder of production company Art Pictures Studio. ...
was a satiric take on 1990s Russia. It told the story of a
television advertisement A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
director who becomes romantically involved with a gangster's girlfriend.
Svetlana Baskova Svetlana Yurievna Baskova (russian: Светлана Юрьевна Баскова; born 25 May 1965, Moscow) is a Russian movie director, screenwriter and painter. Biography Svetlana Baskova was born 25 May 1965 in Moscow. She graduated fro ...
directed the low-budget independently made
exploitation Exploitation may refer to: *Exploitation of natural resources *Exploitation of labour ** Forced labour *Exploitation colonialism *Slavery ** Sexual slavery and other forms *Oppression *Psychological manipulation In arts and entertainment *Exploi ...
shock-horror film ''
The Green Elephant ''The Green Elephant'' (russian: Зелёный слоник, Zelyonyy slonik, also known as ''Green Elephant Calf'') is a 1999 Russian psychedelic exploitation horror film directed by Svetlana Baskova. The movie received a limited theatrical ...
'' in 1999. Baskova noted that the film was conceived as a protest against the Chechen war. In 2022 the film has been banned in Russia.


2000s

The film ''
His Wife's Diary ''His Wife's Diary'' (russian: Дневник его жены, Dnevnik ego zheny) is a 2000 Russian biographical film directed by Alexei Uchitel. It is a story about the last love affair of Ivan Bunin (played by Andrei Smirnov). It is set in Fr ...
'' (2000) by
Aleksei Uchitel Aleksei Yefimovich Uchitel (russian: Алексей Ефимович Учитель; born 31 August 1951) is a Russian film director. In 2002, he received the title People's Artist of Russia. Life and career Uchitel was born on 31 August 1951 ...
won awards at both Kinotavr and Nika. The biographical film was about the last love affair of writer
Ivan Bunin Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin ( or ; rus, Ива́н Алексе́евич Бу́нин, p=ɪˈvan ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ ˈbunʲɪn, a=Ivan Alyeksyeyevich Bunin.ru.vorb.oga;  – 8 November 1953) was the first Russian writer awarded the ...
. Uchitel's 2005 film ''
Dreaming of Space ''Dreaming of Space'' (russian: Космос как предчувствие, Kosmos kak predchuvstvie) is a 2005 Russian drama film directed by Alexei Uchitel. Plot The end of the 1950s. Sputnik 1 has already been launched, but there has not ...
'' won the Golden George at the Moscow Film Festival. Roman Kachanov directed the absurdist comedies ''
Demobbed Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and milita ...
'' (2000) and ''
Down House Down House is the former home of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and his family. It was in this house and garden that Darwin worked on his theory of evolution by natural selection, which he had conceived in London before moving to Down ...
'' (2001), which were both co-written with actor
Ivan Okhlobystin Ivan Ivanovich Okhlobystin (russian: Ива́н Ива́нович Охлобы́стин; born 22 July 1966) is a Russian actor, director, screenwriter, and former Orthodox priest. He is currently defrocked by the ministry of the Russian Ort ...
who also starred in the films. Both are considered to be cult films in Russia.
FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
awarded a special mention to the film ''Demobbed'' at the 2000 Kinotavr. '' The Cuckoo'' by
Aleksandr Rogozhkin Aleksandr Vladimirovich Rogozhkin (russian: Алекса́ндр Влади́мирович Рого́жкин; 3 October 1949 – 23 October 2021) was a Russian film director and writer. Career In 1990, Rogozhkin directed ''Karaul'', which wo ...
won multiple awards at the Moscow Film Festival in 2002. The WWII set film starred Finnish actor
Ville Haapasalo Ville Juhana Haapasalo (born 28 February 1972) is a Finnish stage and film actor who has worked in Finland and Russia. His acting career started in 1995, after he finished his studies in St. Petersburg. In 2003, he was honored with the State Priz ...
as a stranded Finnish sniper. Egor Konchalovsky directed '' Antikiller'' (2002) starring
Gosha Kutsenko Yuriy Georgiyevich Kutsenko (russian: Ю́рий Гео́ргиевич Куце́нко; born 20 May 1967), better known as Gosha Kutsenko (russian: Гоша Куценко), is a Russian actor, producer, singer, poet, and screenwriter. In 2008, ...
as a police officer turned vigilante proved to be a success among Russian audiences. In 2002
Pavel Lungin Pavel Semyonovich Lungin (russian: Па́вел Семёнович Лунги́н; born 12 July 1949) is a Russian film director. He is sometimes credited as Pavel Loungine (as in the American release of ''Tycoon''). Lungin was awarded the distin ...
directed the film ''
Tycoon A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
'' about a Russian oligarch.
Vladimir Mashkov Vladimir Lvovich Mashkov ( Russian: Владимир Львович Машков; born 27 November 1963) is a Soviet and Russian actor and director of cinema, known to Western audiences for his work in the 2001 film '' Behind Enemy Lines'' and 2 ...
played the Boris Berezovsky inspired lead character. 2002 comedy-drama film '' In Motion'' was the directorial debut of
Filipp Yankovsky Filipp Olegovich Yankovsky (russian: Фили́пп Оле́гович Янко́вский) is a Russian actor and film director. He was born on October 10, 1968, to actor Oleg Yankovsky. Life and career Filipp Yankovsky was born October 10, 19 ...
. Feature film debut by Aleksei German Jr. ''The Last Train'' (2003) won the Best Picture and International Film Critics' Awards at Thessaloniki. For his film ''
Paper Soldier ''Paper Soldier'' (russian: Бумажный солдат) is a 2008 Russian drama film directed by Aleksey German Jr. For his film, German received the Silver Lion Award from the Venice Film Festival. Plot The film tells about the doctor Danii ...
'', Aleksei German Jr. received the Silver Lion Award from the Venice Film Festival in 2008.
Andrey Zvyagintsev Andrey Petrovich Zvyagintsev (russian: Андре́й Петро́вич Звя́гинцев, p=ˈzvʲæɡʲɪntsɨf; born 6 February 1964) is a Russian film director and screenwriter. His film '' The Return'' (2003) won him a Golden Lion at ...
's '' The Return'' (2003), a
Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguishe ...
award recipient, shows two brothers' test of life when their father suddenly returns that reaches a deep almost-mystic pitch. The ''
Russian Ark ''Russian Ark'' (russian: link=no, Русский ковчег, ''Russkij Kovcheg'') is a 2002 Experimental film, experimental historical drama film directed by Alexander Sokurov. In ''Russian Ark'', an unnamed narrator wanders through the Winter ...
'' (2003) by Alexander Sokurov, was filmed in a single 96-minute shot in the Russian
Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the list of ...
is a dream-like narration that tells about classic Russian culture sailing in the Ark. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. '' Night Watch'' (2004) by
Timur Bekmambetov Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov (, ; ; born June 25, 1961) is a Russian-Kazakhstan, Kazakh film Film director, director, Film producer, producer, screenwriter, and tech entrepreneur. He is best known for the fantasy epic ''Night Watch (2004 fi ...
was one of the first blockbusters made after the collapse of the Soviet film industry. The supernatural thriller starred
Konstantin Khabensky Konstantin Yurievich Khabensky, PAR (russian: link=no, Константин Юрьевич Хабенский; born 11 January 1972) is a Russian actor of stage and film, director and philanthropist. From 1997 he was part of the Saint Petersbu ...
and was based on the eponymous book by
Sergei Lukyanenko Sergei Vasilyevich Lukyanenko (russian: Серге́й Васи́льевич Лукья́ненко, ; born 11 April 1968) is a Russian science fiction and fantasy author, writing in Russian. His works often feature intense action-packed plots, ...
. It was followed by the sequel '' Day Watch'' (2006). Russian actress
Renata Litvinova Renata Muratovna Litvinova (russian: Рената Муратовна Литвинова; born 12 January 1967) is a Russian actress, film director, and screenwriter. Biography Litvinova was born in Moscow to Volga Tatar father Murat Aminovic ...
debuted as director in 2004 with the film '' Goddess: How I fell in Love''. The serialised novels by
Boris Akunin Boris Akunin (russian: Борис Акунин) is the pen name of Grigori Chkhartishvili (russian: Григорий Шалвович Чхартишвили, Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili; ka, გრიგორი ჩხარტიშვ ...
set in
pre-Revolutionary Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...
evolve around fictional Erast Fandorin adventures in three popular movies: '' The Azazel'' (2002) by
Aleksandr Adabashyan Aleksandr Artyomovich Adabashyan ( rus, Алекса́ндр Артёмович Адабашья́н; born August 10, 1945, MoscowThe Turkish Gambit ''The Turkish Gambit'' (russian: Турецкий гамбит, Turetskiy gambit) is the second novel from the Erast Fandorin series of historical whodunnit, historical detective novels by Russian author Boris Akunin. It was published in Russia in ...
'' (2005) by
Dzhanik Fayziev Dzhanik Habibullaevich Fayziev (, born July 30, 1961) is an Uzbek and Russian director, producer and screenwriter. He specializes in historical adventure movies. Most notably, he directed '' The Turkish Gambit'' and '' Legend of Kolovrat'', and ...
and '' The State Counsellor'' (2005) by
Filipp Yankovsky Filipp Olegovich Yankovsky (russian: Фили́пп Оле́гович Янко́вский) is a Russian actor and film director. He was born on October 10, 1968, to actor Oleg Yankovsky. Life and career Filipp Yankovsky was born October 10, 19 ...
. Life of the Orthodox Monastery and their Christian miracles are described in the film '' The Island'' (2006) by
Pavel Lungin Pavel Semyonovich Lungin (russian: Па́вел Семёнович Лунги́н; born 12 July 1949) is a Russian film director. He is sometimes credited as Pavel Loungine (as in the American release of ''Tycoon''). Lungin was awarded the distin ...
. The film was screened out of the competition at the
63rd Venice International Film Festival The 63rd annual Venice International Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, was opened on 30 August 2006 with Brian De Palma's '' The Black Dahlia'' and was closed on 9 September 2006. Host of the event was Italian actress Isabella Ferrari. Dur ...
and received the Golden Eagle and Nika awards.
Konstantin Lopushansky Konstantin Sergeyevich Lopushansky (russian: Константин Сергеевич Лопушанский; born June 12, 1947) is a Soviet and Russian film director, film theorist and author. He is best known for directing the apocalyptic and p ...
directed the science-fiction film ''
The Ugly Swans ''The Ugly Swans'' (russian: Гадкие лебеди) is a science fiction novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. In the USSR, it was published in 1987, in the Latvian magazine ''Daugava'', with the title "The Time of Rains" (russian: Время ...
'' in 2006, based on the 1967
novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky The brothers Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky (russian: Аркадий Натанович Стругацкий; 28 August 1925 – 12 October 1991) and Boris Natanovich Strugatsky ( ru , Борис Натанович Стругацкий; 14 A ...
. The film received the Best Score award at Kinotavr. One of Russia's all-time biggest box-office hits was Timur Bekmambetov's romantic-comedy ''
The Irony of Fate 2 ''The Irony of Fate 2'' or ''The Irony of Fate: Continuation'' (russian: Ирония Судьбы. Продолжение; ''Ironiya sud’by. Prodolzheniye'') is a 2007 Russian romantic comedy film directed by Timur Bekmambetov based on a screenp ...
'', directed in 2007 as a sequel to the 1976 film. 2008 musical film '' Stilyagi'', ''Hipsters'' directed by Valery Todorovsky about the youth lifestyle in the 1950s Soviet Union was a success at the box office. It received the Golden Eagle and Nika awards for best picture.
Valeriya Gai Germanika Valeriya Gai Alexandrovna Germanika (russian: Валерия Гай Александровна Германика, born Valeriya Igorevna Dudinskaya (russian: Вале́рия И́горевна Дуди́нская); born 1 March 1984, Moscow) ...
received the "Special Mention" of the jury of the Camera d’Or competition at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival for her feature debut '' Everybody Dies but Me''. At the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
Anna Melikian Anna Melikian ( hy, Աննա Մելիքյան; russian: Анна Меликян; born February 8, 1976) is a Russian film and TV director/ producer whose work has been recognized with various awards at major international film festivals. After he ...
won the award for best Dramatic Directing for her film ''
Mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
''. Sci-fi picture '' Dark Planet'' (2008-2009) based on the book by
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky The brothers Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky (russian: Аркадий Натанович Стругацкий; 28 August 1925 – 12 October 1991) and Boris Natanovich Strugatsky ( ru , Борис Натанович Стругацкий; 14 A ...
, directed by
Fyodor Bondarchuk Fyodor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk (russian: link=no, Фёдор Сергеевич Бондарчук ; born 9 May 1967) is a Russian film director, actor, TV and film producer, clipmaker, TV host, founder of production company Art Pictures Studio. ...
, was one of the most expensive Russian films of the 2000s, with its budget of $36.6 million.


2010s

In 2014 censorship of cinematic works was officially introduced with a new and stricter revision of the "screening certificate" (russian: прокатное удостоверение) act, without which public film screenings are not allowed and are punishable by law. Curse words in films were banned. The concept of a "screening certificate" first appeared in Russian laws in 1993, when
Viktor Chernomyrdin Viktor Stepanovich Chernomyrdin (russian: Ви́ктор Степа́нович Черномы́рдин, ; 9 April 19383 November 2010) was a Soviet and Russian politician and businessman. He was the Minister of Gas Industry of the Soviet Unio ...
signed the decree "On the registration of films and videos", the main purpose of which was to combat the spread of pirated content. For a decade and a half, the document was more or less a formality. In 2010 the comedy anthology film ''
Yolki ''Yolki'' (russian: Ёлки, meaning '' New Year Trees''), also known as ''Six Degrees of Celebration'', is a 2010 Russian comedy film directed by Timur Bekmambetov. As of 2021, eight films have been made in the series. It is the most successful ...
'' produced by
Timur Bekmambetov Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov (, ; ; born June 25, 1961) is a Russian-Kazakhstan, Kazakh film Film director, director, Film producer, producer, screenwriter, and tech entrepreneur. He is best known for the fantasy epic ''Night Watch (2004 fi ...
was released. It spawned five sequels and one spin-off. ''
How I Ended This Summer ''How I Ended This Summer'' (russian: Как я провёл этим летом, translit. ''Kak ya provyol etim letom'') is a 2010 Russian drama film directed by Alexei Popogrebski. It was critically acclaimed and garnered several awards ...
'' by
Alexei Popogrebski Alexei Petrovich Popogrebski (russian: Алексе́й Петро́вич Попогре́бский; born 7 August 1972) is a Russian film director and screenwriter. His 2010 film '' How I Ended This Summer'' was nominated for the Golden Bear ...
, a film shot in remote Chukotka, won Berlin's Film Festival
Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The winn ...
in 2010. The same year arthouse film ''
Silent Souls ''Silent Souls'' (Russian: Овся́нки, "The Buntings") is a 2010 Russian road drama film that was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 67th Venice Film Festival. It is based on a 2008 novella by Denis Osokin. The film was awarded the Golden ...
'' by
Aleksey Fedorchenko Aleksey Fedorchenko (russian: Алексе́й Станисла́вович Федо́рченко; born 1966) is a film director from Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively ...
won the
Golden Osella The Golden Osella is the name of several awards given at the Venice Film Festival. They are awarded irregularly and in various categories such as directing, screenwriting, cinematography, and technical contributions. The name derives from the ''o ...
at the
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
for best cinematography. Yury Bykov debuted as a director with the film '' To Live'' in 2010. His film '' The Major'' screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. His film '' The Fool'' won the Best Actor award at the 2014 Locarno Film Festival. ''
Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...
'' by
Aleksandr Sokurov Alexander Nikolayevich Sokurov, PAR (russian: link=no, Александр Николаевич Сокуров; born 14 June 1951) is a Russian filmmaker. His most significant works include a feature film, ''Russian Ark'' (2002), filmed in a s ...
won the Golden Lion at the 2011 Venice Film Festival. His follow-up film ''
Francofonia ''Francofonia'' is a 2015 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Alexander Sokurov. It was screened in the main competition section of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival and in the Masters section of the 2015 Toronto Interna ...
'' received the Mimmo Rotella Award at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. 2011 romantic comedy ''
Lucky Trouble ''Lucky Trouble'' (russian: Выкрутасы, Vykrutasy) is a 2011 Russian comedy film, directorial debut of Levan Gabriadze. The film premiered on February 17, 2011, and grossed 12.86 million dollars by May 1, 2011. Plot Vyacheslav "Slava" Ko ...
'' directed by
Levan Gabriadze Levan "Leo" Gabriadze ( ka, ლევან რევაზის ძე გაბრიაძე, ''Levan Revazis dze Gabriadze''; russian: Лева́н Рева́зович Габриа́дзе, ''Levan Revazovich Gabriadze''; born 16 Novembe ...
and produced by
Timur Bekmambetov Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov (, ; ; born June 25, 1961) is a Russian-Kazakhstan, Kazakh film Film director, director, Film producer, producer, screenwriter, and tech entrepreneur. He is best known for the fantasy epic ''Night Watch (2004 fi ...
, starred Hollywood actress
Milla Jovovich Milica Bogdanovna Jovovich; sr-Latn, Milica Bogdanovna Jovović; russian: Милица Богдановна Йовович; uk, Милиця Богданoвна Йовович ( ; born December 17, 1975), known professionally as Milla Jovo ...
who played the female lead opposite
Konstantin Khabensky Konstantin Yurievich Khabensky, PAR (russian: link=no, Константин Юрьевич Хабенский; born 11 January 1972) is a Russian actor of stage and film, director and philanthropist. From 1997 he was part of the Saint Petersbu ...
. '' Generation Pi'' (2011) by
Victor Ginzburg Victor Ginzburg (born 1957) is a Russian American mathematician who works in representation theory and in noncommutative geometry. He is known for his contributions to geometric representation theory, especially, for his works on representations ...
was an independently produced satiric comedy about advertisement business set in the 1990s. The film was based on
Victor Pelevin Victor Olegovich Pelevin ( rus, Виктор Олегович Пелевин, p=ˈvʲiktər ɐˈlʲɛɡəvʲɪtɕ pʲɪˈlʲevʲɪn; born 22 November 1962) is a Russian fiction writer. His novels include ''Omon Ra'' (1992), ''The Life of Insects ...
’s 1999 novel of the same name. Aleksey Adrianov directed the high-budget
Boris Akunin Boris Akunin (russian: Борис Акунин) is the pen name of Grigori Chkhartishvili (russian: Григорий Шалвович Чхартишвили, Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili; ka, გრიგორი ჩხარტიშვ ...
adaptation ''
Spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
'' in 2012. A Russian filmmaker who continued to make a name for himself in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
was Timur Bekmambetov, a producer and director of blockbuster films. In the United States he directed '' Wanted'' (2008), '' Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'' (2012) and '' Ben-Hur'' (2016). Starting from 2003 Russia's animation industry began to manufacture films which are profitable domestically and abroad. Some of the pictures are '' The Snow Queen 1'', '' 2'', '' 3'', ''
Masha and the Bear ''Masha and the Bear'' (russian: Ма́ша и Медве́дь, translit=Masha i Medved ) is a Russian preschool comedy computer-animated television series created by Oleg Kuzovkov and produced by Animaccord Animation Studio, loosely based on the ...
'', ''
Kikoriki ''Kikoriki'', known in the United States as ''GoGoRiki'' or ''BalloonToons'' and in Russia as ''Smeshariki'' (russian: Смешарики), is a Russian animated television series consisting of 307 episodes of 6 minutes and 30 seconds each, aime ...
'', ''
Dobrynya Nikitich and Zmey Gorynych ''Dobrinya and the Dragon'' (russian: Добрыня Никитич и Змей Горыныч, ''Dobrynya Nikitich i Zmey Gorynych'', ) is a Russian traditionally animated feature film directed by Ilya Maksimov, made by Melnitsa Animation Studi ...
''. War epic ''
Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...
'' directed by
Fyodor Bondarchuk Fyodor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk (russian: link=no, Фёдор Сергеевич Бондарчук ; born 9 May 1967) is a Russian film director, actor, TV and film producer, clipmaker, TV host, founder of production company Art Pictures Studio. ...
in 2013 set new box-office records in Russia and abroad. After ''Stalingrad's'' success at the box-office, increasingly more films started to be made in Russia about WWII. Other WWII films that were made in Russia included ''
The Dawns Here Are Quiet ''The Dawns Here Are Quiet'' (russian: А зори здесь тихие, A zori zdes tikhie) is a 1972 Soviet war drama directed by Stanislav Rostotsky based on Boris Vasilyev's novel of the same name. The film deals with antiwar themes and fo ...
'' (2015), '' Panfilov's 28 Men'' (2016), ''
Sobibor Sobibor (, Polish: ) was an extermination camp built and operated by Nazi Germany as part of Operation Reinhard. It was located in the forest near the village of Żłobek Duży in the General Government region of German-occupied Poland. As an ...
'' (2018), ''
T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, anti-tan ...
'' (2019), '' The Last Frontier'' (2020), '' V2. Escape from Hell'' (2021) and '' The Red Ghost'' (2021). 2013 comedy ''
Kiss Them All! ''Kiss Them All!'' (russian: Горько!, Gorko!) is a 2013 Russian film directed by Zhora Kryzhovnikov and produced by Timur Bekmambetov, Ilya Burets, Dmitry Nelidov, Sergey Svetlakov. The movie is a wedding comedy. Natasha and Roma — these tw ...
'' by
Zhora Kryzhovnikov Zhora Kryzhovnikov (russian: Жора Крыжовников; born 14 February 1979) is a Russian film director, screenwriter and producer. Filmography As director * ''Big Difference'' (2008) * ''A Lucky Buy'' (2010) * ''A Сurse'' (2012) * '' ...
, produced by Timur Bekmambetov, is the most profitable domestic film in the history of Russian box office, having managed to earn more than 27.3 million dollars on a comparatively modest budget of $1.5 million. Film by
Alexander Veledinsky Alexander Alexeevich Veledinsky (Александр Алексеевич Велединский, born 27 July 1959 in Gorky) is a Russians, Russian film director and screenwriter. He directed several films, but is most famous for The Geographer Dr ...
, ''
The Geographer Drank His Globe Away ''The Geographer Drank His Globe Away'' (russian: Географ глобус пропил, Geograf Globus Propil) is a Russian drama film made in 2013, directed by Alexander Veledinsky, based on the novel of the same name by Alexei Ivanov. The ...
'', based on the novel of the same name by Alexei Ivanov, was awarded the main prize at Kinotavr 2013. In 2014, Andrey Zvyagintsev's ''
Leviathan Leviathan (; he, לִוְיָתָן, ) is a sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Amos, and, according to some ...
'' was entered in the
2014 Cannes Film Festival The 67th Cannes Film Festival was held from 14 to 25 May 2014. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the main competition section. The Palme d'Or was awarded to the Turkish film '' Winter Sleep'' directed by Nuri Bi ...
and nominated for best foreign picture at the
87th Academy Awards The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2014 in film, films of 2014 and took place on February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, ...
. It won the
Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
for best foreign language film. After the film got leaked online and was downloaded by 1.5 million users, domestic distributors decided to make a wide release of the controversial film which was negatively viewed by the Russian authorities due to its gloomy and critical view of Russia. '' Under Electric Clouds'' by Aleksei German won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for Cinematography at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival. His follow-up film '' Dovlatov'' (2018) about writer
Sergei Dovlatov Sergei Donatovich Dovlatov (russian: link=no, Сергей Донатович Довлатов; 1941 1990) was a Soviet journalist and writer. Internationally, he is one of the most popular Russian writers of the late 20th century. Biography ...
, was awarded a Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for costume and production design. In 2015
Ilya Naishuller Ilya Viktorovich Naishuller (born November 19, 1983) is a film director and a musician. He is known for directing action films '' Hardcore Henry'' (2015) and '' Nobody'' (2021). He is the founder of film production company Versus Pictures and t ...
debuted with the film ''
Hardcore Henry ''Hardcore Henry'' (also known simply as ''Hardcore'' (russian: Хардкор) in some countries) is a 2015 science fiction action film written and directed by Ilya Naishuller (in his feature directorial debut), and produced by Timur Bekmambeto ...
'' which was screened at the Toronto Film Festival. He later directed ''
Nobody Nobody may refer to: * Nobody, an indefinite pronoun Nobody may also refer to: Fictional characters * Nobody (''Kingdom Hearts''), a race of beings in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series *Nobody, a character in the Jim Jarmusch films '' D ...
'' (2021) in Hollywood. Andrei Konchalovsky received the
Silver Lion The Silver Lion ( it, Leone d'argento, also known as Silver Lion for Best Direction) is an annual award presented for best directing achievements in a feature film at official competition section of the Venice Film Festival since 1998. The pri ...
for best director at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival for his
black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
drama ''
Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...
'' in 2016. He previously received the Silver Lion for ''
The Postman's White Nights ''The Postman's White Nights'' (russian: Белые ночи почтальона Алексея Тряпицына; ''Belye nochi pochtalona Alekseya Tryapitsyna'') is a 2014 Russian drama film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. It tells the sto ...
'' in 2014. 2016 one-man thriller film '' Collector'' by Aleksei Krasovsky starring Konstantin Khabensky won an award at the Karlovy Vary Festival. Disaster film ''
Flight Crew Aircrew, also called flight crew, are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions ...
'', directed by Nikolai Lebedev with actor
Danila Kozlovsky Danila Valeryevich Kozlovsky (russian: link=no, Данила Валерьевич Козловский; born 3 May 1985) is a Russian actor and director. Biography Early life and career Danila Kozlovsky was born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet ...
was a success at the box-office in 2016. '' The Student'' by
Kirill Serebrennikov Kirill Semyonovich Serebrennikov (russian: Кирилл Семёнович Серебренников; born 7 September 1969) is a Russian stage and film director and theatre designer. Since 2012, he has been the artistic director of the Gogol ...
won the
François Chalais Prize The François Chalais Prize (French: ''Prix François Chalais'') is awarded at two main events, the Cannes Film Festival (since 1997) and the Young Reporters' Awards (since 1999). It was created to pay tribute to French journalist and film histori ...
at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. 2016 film ''
Zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
'' by Ivan Tverdovsky won the Special Jury Award at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The 2017 sports drama ''
Going Vertical ''Going Vertical'', also known as ''Three Seconds'' (russian: Движение вверх, Dvizhenie vverkh) is a 2017 Russian sports drama film directed by Anton Megerdichev about the controversial victory of the Soviet national basketball tea ...
'' by Anton Megerdichev is the highest grossing domestic film of the 2010s. It also became the highest-grossing Russian film in China, where it grossed () which brought the film's worldwide gross to $66.3 million.
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
produced Slavic fantasy film '' Last Knight'' directed by
Dmitry Dyachenko Dmitriy Vladimirovich Dyachenko (, born September 16, 1972) is a Russian director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his comedy movies starring Kvartet I that became box office hits in Russia. Filmography As director * '' Radio D ...
was a success at the box-office in 2017, earning $30 million. The film was followed by two sequels in 2021; '' The Last Warrior: Root of Evil'' and '' The Last Warrior: A Messenger of Darkness''. ''
Arrhythmia Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adults ...
'' by director
Boris Khlebnikov Boris Igorevich Khlebnikov (, born August 28, 1972) - is a Russian film director, screenwriter and producer. Filmography As director * ''Roads to Koktebel'' (2003) * '' Free Floating'' (2006) * ''Help Gone Mad'' (2009) * '' Crush'' (2009) * '' ...
received the Best Actor award at the 2017 Karlovy Vary Film Festival. ''
Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
'' by
Aleksei Uchitel Aleksei Yefimovich Uchitel (russian: Алексей Ефимович Учитель; born 31 August 1951) is a Russian film director. In 2002, he received the title People's Artist of Russia. Life and career Uchitel was born on 31 August 1951 ...
about the relationship between ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya and
Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...
caused controversy amongst monarchist and Orthodox authorities and public in 2017.
Maryus Vaysberg Maryus Erikovich Vaysberg (, born 1 April 1971), also known as Marius Balčiūnas-Weisberg, is a Russian film director, producer, and screenwriter of Lithuanian and Jewish descent. Career His father, Erik Vaysberg, had had his own career in th ...
is a film director mainly working in the comedy genre. He is one of the most commercially successful directors of Russia. His 2017 film ''
Naughty Grandma Naughty Grandma (russian: Бабушка лёгкого поведения, Babushka lyogkogo povedeniya) is a 2017 Russian comedy film directed by Maryus Vaysberg. It stars Aleksandr Revva and Glukoza. The film was the only domestic picture to ...
'' was a box office success and the most successful Russian film in 2017. Many of his films starred future president of the Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...
. '' Anna's War'' by
Aleksey Fedorchenko Aleksey Fedorchenko (russian: Алексе́й Станисла́вович Федо́рченко; born 1966) is a film director from Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively ...
premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival in 2018. The film won the Golden Eagle Award in the Best Film category. Fedorchenko won the award for Best Director. 2019 comedy film ''
Serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
'' directed by
Klim Shipenko Klim Alekseevich Shipenko (russian: Клим Алексеевич Шипенко; born 16 June 1983) is a Russian film director, screenwriter, actor and producer. Career Filming in outer space In 2021, Shipenko shot portions of a science ficti ...
and starring
Miloš Biković Miloš Biković ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Биковић, ; born January 13, 1988) is a Serbian actor and producer. His best known films are box office hits '' Serf'' and ''South Wind''. He is also known for his roles in movies ''Sunstroke'' directe ...
set new domestic box-office records. It grossed $42.4 million against a budget of $2.6 million. The same year Shipenko directed the psychological thriller ''
Text Text may refer to: Written word * Text (literary theory), any object that can be read, including: **Religious text, a writing that a religious tradition considers to be sacred **Text, a verse or passage from scripture used in expository preachin ...
'' starring Alexander Petrov, which was also a success at the box-office and received a Nika and multiple Golden Eagle awards. In the following years many Russian films have gotten wide releases in China, and there has been an increased number of planned Russo-Chinese co-productions. A few of the films produced by Russia and China are '' Viy'', '' Viy 2: Journey to China'' starring
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
and
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
, '' The Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice'' and ''Quackerz''.


2020s

'' Dau'', the first film of the controversial DAU project by director
Ilya Khrzhanovsky Ilya Andreyevich Khrzhanovsky (russian: Илья́ Андре́евич Хржановский; born 11 August 1975) is a Russian-born film director, screenwriter, film producer and member of the European Film Academy. His father Andrei Khrzhano ...
, which was initially conceived as a biopic of Soviet scientist
Lev Landau Lev Davidovich Landau (russian: Лев Дави́дович Ланда́у; 22 January 1908 – 1 April 1968) was a Soviet- Azerbaijani physicist of Jewish descent who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics. His a ...
, premiered in 2019 in Paris. '' DAU. Natasha'' premiered at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear for an Outstanding Artistic Contribution. The rest of the films were released on VOD through the official DAU website in 2020. War drama ''
Persian Lessons ''Persian Lessons'' (german: Persischstunden) is a 2020 Russian-Belarusian war drama film directed by Vadim Perelman. The film was partially inspired by the short story ''Erfindung einer Sprache'' by German writer Wolfgang Kohlhaase. It was sel ...
'' by
Vadim Perelman Vadim Perelman ( ukr, Вадим Перельман; born 8 September 1963) is a Ukrainian-Canadian-American film director. Perelman made his feature film directorial debut in 2003 with '' House of Sand and Fog'', following a successful career as ...
premiered at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival. At the 2020 Venice Film Festival, ''
Dear Comrades! ''Dear Comrades!'' (russian: Дорогие товарищи!, Dorogie tovarishchi!) is a 2020 Russian historical drama film about the Novocherkassk massacre produced, co-written and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhal ...
'' directed by Andrei Konchalovsky telling the story of the
Novocherkassk massacre The Novocherkassk massacre (russian: Новочеркасский расстрел, Novocherkasskiy rasstrel) was a massacre which was committed against unarmed civilians who were rallying on 2 June 1962 in the Soviet city of Novocherkassk by th ...
, won the Special Jury Prize. Historic romance film ''
The Silver Skates ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', by Michael Lockshin in his directorial debut, was released in 2020.
Yakut language Yakut , also known as Yakutian, Sakha, Saqa or Saxa ( sah, саха тыла), is a Turkic language spoken by around 450,000 native speakers, primarily the ethnic Yakuts and one of the official languages of Sakha (Yakutia), a federal republic ...
drama ''
Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley ...
'' by Dmitry Davydov won the main prize at the 2020 Kinotavr film festival. Yakut films, also nicknamed "Sakhawood", have been steadily gaining popularity in Russia. ''
House Arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...
'' by Aleksey German Jr. premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. '' The Last Darling Bulgaria'' by
Aleksey Fedorchenko Aleksey Fedorchenko (russian: Алексе́й Станисла́вович Федо́рченко; born 1966) is a film director from Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively ...
premiered at the 2021 Moscow Film Festival. Historical war drama film ''
Ivan Denisovich ''One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich'' (russian: links=no, italics=yes, Один день Ивана Денисовича, Odin den' Ivana Denisovicha, ) is a short novel by the Russian writer and Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, first p ...
'' by veteran director
Gleb Panfilov Gleb Anatolyevich Panfilov (russian: Глеб Анатольевич Панфилов, link=no; born 21 May 1934 in Magnitogorsk) is an internationally acclaimed Russian film director noted for a string of mostly historical films starring his wif ...
premiered at the 2021 Locarno Film Festival. The film based on
the novel ''The Novel'' (1991) is a novel written by American author James A. Michener. A departure from Michener's better known historical fiction, ''The Novel'' is told from the viewpoints of four different characters involved in the life and work of ...
by
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Russian novelist. One of the most famous Soviet dissidents, Solzhenitsyn was an outspoken critic of communism and helped to raise global awareness of political repress ...
starred
Filipp Yankovsky Filipp Olegovich Yankovsky (russian: Фили́пп Оле́гович Янко́вский) is a Russian actor and film director. He was born on October 10, 1968, to actor Oleg Yankovsky. Life and career Filipp Yankovsky was born October 10, 19 ...
in the main role. In 2021 WWII action film '' The Red Ghost'' by Andrei Bogatyrev was released in Russian cinemas. 2021 film '' Gerda'' about a young striptease dancer by director Natalya Kudryashova premiered at the Locarno Film Festival where it received the Best Actress award and the special prize from the youth jury of the festival.
Natalya Merkulova Natalya Fyodorovna Merkulova (russian: Наталья Фёдоровна Меркулова; born 19 September 1979 in Orenburg Oblast) is a Russian filmmaker. She is well known for her films which she directs together with her husband Aleksey Chu ...
and Aleksey Chupov's film ''
Captain Volkonogov Escaped ''Captain Volkonogov Escaped'' (russian: Капитан Волконогов бежал, translit. ''Kapitan Volkonogov bezhal'') is a 2021 Russian thriller drama film written and directed by Natalya Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov. The main roles ...
'' (2021), set during the
Great Purge The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Nikolay Yezhov, Yezhov'), was General ...
, was screened at the Venice International Film Festival. Surrealistic satire '' Petrov's Flu'' by
Kirill Serebrennikov Kirill Semyonovich Serebrennikov (russian: Кирилл Семёнович Серебренников; born 7 September 1969) is a Russian stage and film director and theatre designer. Since 2012, he has been the artistic director of the Gogol ...
and
Ossetian language Ossetian (, , ), commonly referred to as Ossetic and rarely as Ossete (), is an Eastern Iranian language that is spoken predominantly in Ossetia, a region situated on both sides of the Greater Caucasus. It is the native language of the Ossetia ...
drama '' Unclenching the Fists'' by Kira Kovalenko were screened at the
2021 Cannes Film Festival The 74th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 6 to 17 July 2021, after having been originally scheduled from 11 to 22 May 2021. American director Spike Lee was invited to be the head of the jury for the festival for a second time, after t ...
. Finnish-Russian co-production '' Compartment No. 6'' by Juho Kuosmanen was also part of the program and it won the Grand Prix of the festival. Apocalyptic drama ''
Quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
'' by
Diana Ringo Diana Ringo (born 8 March 1992) is a Finnish film director, composer and visual artist. Her director debut is dystopian feature film drama ''Quarantine'' (2021) which was shortlisted for the 2022 Golden Globes as a foreign entry. She was also c ...
, co-produced by Finland and Russia, was an official non-English language
Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
2022 entry. ''
Tchaikovsky's Wife ''Tchaikovsky's Wife'' (russian: Жена Чайковского, Zhena Chaikovskogo) is a 2022 Russian biographical drama film written and directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, starring Alyona Mikhaylova and Odin Biron. The film is a participant in ...
'' by
Kirill Serebrennikov Kirill Semyonovich Serebrennikov (russian: Кирилл Семёнович Серебренников; born 7 September 1969) is a Russian stage and film director and theatre designer. Since 2012, he has been the artistic director of the Gogol ...
was included in the competition program of
2022 Cannes Film Festival The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival is an upcoming film festival scheduled to take place from 17 to 28 May 2022. The festival will see a tribute to actor Tom Cruise, whose film '' Top Gun: Maverick'' is due to premiere at the festival. The off ...
. ''
Convenience Store A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticket ...
'' by Mikhail Borodin, about Uzbeki immigrants working illegally in Moscow, premiered at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival.


2022 boycott

The
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
has impacted Russian cinema. The Russian Association of Theater Owners said that there is a “high probability of the liquidation of the entire film screening industry”; ticket sales in March 2022 were half of what they had been in March 2021. The
Annecy International Animation Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...
, Berlinale, Cannes, Venice, and the
Toronto Film Festival Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...
banned official Russian delegations. The
Stockholm Film Festival The Stockholm International Film Festival ( sv, Stockholms filmfestival, italic=no) is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year since then during the second half of November. The w ...
banned all Russian projects funded by the government. The
European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mo ...
and
Emmys The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
banned Russian films outright.
FIAPF The FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films; en, International Federation of Film Producers Associations), created in 1933, is an organization composed with 36 member associations from 30 of the leading audio ...
(Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films, translated as the International Federation of Film Producers Associations) paused the accreditation of the
Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...
and Message to Man until further notice. MIPTV in France won’t allow “any Russian film and TV outfits” in 2022, and Russia has also been banned from the
Banff World Media Festival The Banff World Media Festival (formerly known as the Banff World Television Festival) is an international media event held in the Canadian Rockies at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The festival is dedicated to world ...
and
NATPE The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) is a professional association of television and emerging media executives. The organization was established in 1963. NATPE implements its mission by providing members with educati ...
. Several major international film distributors, including
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
,
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...
,
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
, and
Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
stopped screening films in Russia; prior to the invasion, movies produced in the United States made up 70% of the Russian film market.
FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
announced that it will not participate in festivals and other events organized by the Russian government and its offices, and canceled a colloquium in St. Petersburg, that was to make it familiar with new Russian films. Ukrainian film director
Sergei Loznitsa Sergei Vladimirovich Loznitsa ( be, Сяргей Уладзіміравіч Лазніца, russian: Сергей Владимирович Лозница, uk, Сергій Володимирович Лозниця; born 5 September 1964) is a Uk ...
spoke out against banning Russian films. He said: "Among Russian filmmakers, there are people who have condemned the war, who oppose the regime and openly expressed their condemnation. And in a way they’re victims of this whole conflict like the rest of us." And: "We must not judge people based on their passports. We can judge them on their acts." Dissident Russian film director
Kirill Serebrennikov Kirill Semyonovich Serebrennikov (russian: Кирилл Семёнович Серебренников; born 7 September 1969) is a Russian stage and film director and theatre designer. Since 2012, he has been the artistic director of the Gogol ...
also spoke out against the boycott.


Russian film production

There are around 400 private production companies. They do not have their own facilities for creating films, and therefore must rent out spaces and equipment from their qualified partners. There are 35 film studios (9 of them are governmental) that are the major service for renting space. The studios have 107 shooting pavilions. There are 23 private companies on the Russian market that rent their equipment of all kinds to the production teams.


Leading production companies on the market

The list is composed by the
Cinema Foundation of Russia Russian Cinema Fund Analytics, known as Cinema Fund (Фонд Кино; Officially Federal Fund for Economic and social support of the Russian Cinematography, Федеральный фонд социальной и экономической по ...
. It allows companies get governmental financial support. In 2017 the number of market leaders was increased up to 10 companies. *
Bazelevs Company Bazelevs is a US-based production company founded by Hollywood director and producer Timur Bekmambetov. The company has been producing films such as ''Night Watch'', '' Day Watch'', ''Wanted'', ''The Darkest Hour'', '' Abraham Lincoln: Vampire ...
run by Timur Bekmambetov * Art Pictures Studio run by Fyodor Bondarchuk and Dmitri Rudovsky * СТВ run by Sergey Selyanov * Trite run by Nikita Mikhalkov *
Enjoy Movies Enjoy Movies was a Russian production company, founded in 2010 by an Armenians, Armenian director Sarik Andreasyan, his brother the producer Gevond Andreasyan and producer Georgy Malkov. The company is based in Moscow, Russia. The company's f ...
run by Andreasyan brothers and Georgy Malkov * Non-Stop Production run by Alexander Rodnyansky, Sergey Melkumov *
Central Partnership Central Partnership (russian: Централ Партнершип) is a Russian film distribution and production company founded in 1995. The distributor was acquired by Russian gas company Gazprom in 2014. History Central Partnership started ...
part of Gazprom holding * Film Direction run by Anatoly Maksimov * Profit run by Igor Tolstunov * VBD Group


List of highest-grossing films

According to
Kinopoisk.ru Kinopoisk (russian: Кинопоиск, a portmanteau of "cinema" and "search") is a Russian online database of information related to films, TV shows including cast, production team, biographies, plot summaries, ratings, and reviews. Since 2018 ...
, highest-grossing Russian films, as of early 2020, are the following: ''
List of highest-grossing Russian films According to ''Kinopoisk'', the highest-grossing Russian films are the following, as of early 2023. This list does not include earlier Soviet films, which are listed separately on the ''list of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union''. Ove ...
'' Note: This list does not include earlier
Soviet films The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, which are listed separately on the ''
list of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union This is the list of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union, in terms of box office admissions (ticket sales). It includes the highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union (USSR), the highest-grossing domestic Soviet films, the domestic films w ...
''.


Film distribution

There are 600 companies that release films all around Russia that includes 105 chain cinema theatres and 495 independent theatres. Chain companies consist of 29 federal, 19 regional and 57 local theatres. According to Neva Research, as of 1 July 2016 there were 1,227 cinemas with 4,067 screens in Russia. Ten major cinema companies hold 346 theatres with 1,772 screens, which corresponds to 43.6% of the whole amount. In 2015 all the cinemas were finally digitalized. In the beginning of 2016 Russia has 33 theatres with 4D technology, 80 theatres with premium sound system, 43 theatres with 3D IMAX effect.


Awards

*
Nika Award The Nika Award (sometimes styled NIKA Award) is the main annual national film award in Russia, presented by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science, and seen as the national equivalent of the Oscars. History The award was established i ...
* Golden Eagle Award *
Russian Guild of Film Critics The Russian Guild of Film Critics (russian: Гильдия киноведов и кинокритиков России) is a Russian organization of professional film critics, headquartered in Moscow. Beginning in 1998, the guild began conferrin ...
*
TEFI TEFI (russian: ТЭФИ) is an annual award given in the Russian television industry, presented by the Russian Academy of Television. It has been awarded since 1994. TEFI is presented in various sectors (up to 50 nominations in 2008), such as tele ...


Festivals

There are many film festivals in Russia. They include: * Artdocfest (Moscow and other cities) *
Ekaterinburg Jewish Film Festival The Ekaterinburg Jewish Film Festival is an annual international film festival, which aims to gather in the program features, documentaries, shorts and animated films on the subject of Jewish culture, history and national identity and contemporar ...
(
Ekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administrat ...
) *
Faces of Love Film Festival Faces of Love International Film Festival (Russian: Международный кинофестиваль «Лики Любви») is a festival first based in Moscow, then in 2005 moved to Sochi, Russia. It is a sister festival of the biggest film ...
(
Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...
) *
Festival of Festivals, St. Petersburg The Festival of Festivals in Saint Petersburg is Russia’s largest non-competitive festival of recent outstanding works of international and Russian cinema. It is held annually in June, during Saint Petersburg's White Nights Festival. History ...
*
Kazan International Festival of Muslim Cinema The Kazan International Festival of Muslim Cinema (KIFMC) was created in 2005. It takes place at the beginning of September in the town of Kazan, Russia. History Initially it was supposed to be a mobile festival between Muslim regions in Russia a ...
(
Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...
) *
Kinoshock "Kinoshock" Open Film Festival of CIS and Baltic countries, also spelt Kinoshok, is a film festival staged in the Black Sea resort of Anapa, Russia, each September. "CIS" refers to the Commonwealth of Independent States, comprising nine member s ...
(in
Anapa Anapa (russian: Ана́па, ) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. Population: History The area around Anapa was settled in antiquity. It was originally a major seaport ( ...
) *
Kinotavr Kinotavr (russian: Кинотавр), also known as the Sochi Open Russian Film Festival is an open film festival held in the resort city of Sochi, Russia annually in June since 1991, until it was cancelled in the wake of the 2022 Russian invasio ...
(Sochi) *
KROK International Animated Films Festival The KROK International Animated Films Festival is an annual international animated film festival, and one of the main animation festivals in the territory of the former Soviet Union. It is held in Russia on even years and in Ukraine on odd years. ...
(in cities along the
Volga The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...
or
Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...
rivers) *
Message to Man International Film Festival Message to Man International Film Festival (russian: Послание к Человеку, ''Poslaniye k Chelovyeku'') is an international competitive documentary, short and animated film festival held annually in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Messa ...
(St Petersburg) *
Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...
*
Moscow Jewish Film Festival The Moscow Jewish Film Festival is an annual international film festival, which aims to gather in the program features, documentaries, shorts and animated films on the subject of Jewish culture, history and national identity and contemporary prob ...
*
Open Russian Festival of Animated Film The Open Russian Festival of Animated Films (russian: Откры́тый Росси́йский Фестива́ль Анимацио́нного Кино́) is an annual animation film festival held in Suzdal, Russia. It is devoted to professional ...
(
Suzdal Suzdal ( rus, Суздаль, p=ˈsuzdəlʲ) is a town that serves as the administrative center of Suzdalsky District in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which is located on the Kamenka River, north of the city of Vladimir. Vladimir is the admin ...
) *
Pacific Meridian Pacific Meridian (russian: Меридианы Тихого; abbreviated as IFFV) is an International Film Festival of the Asian-Pacific region, which has been held every September since 2003 in Vladivostok, Russia. Every year it brings together fil ...
(in
Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...
) * Saint Petersburg International Film Festival *
Side by Side Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival "Side by Side" Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival (''«Bok o Bok»'', russian: Международный ЛГБТ-Кинофестиваль «Бок о Бок») is an international film festival that seeks to explore the issues of ho ...
(St Petersburg) *
Sozvezdie Sozvezdie ( ru , Созвездие, Constellation), a joint-stock company also referred to as JSC Concern Sozvezdie, is the leading Russian developer and manufacturer of electronic warfare, radio communications, and electronic countermeasures sy ...
(various locations) * Stalker International Film Festival on Human Rights (Moscow and regional cities)


VOD platforms

Notable Video on Demand platforms include Okko,
Start Start can refer to multiple topics: *Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports *Standing start, and rolling start, in an auto race Acronyms *St ...
, Kinopoisk HD,
Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
,
Ivi.ru IVI (ivi.ru) is a Russian online video streaming service which offers licensed video content, including over 65,000 titles of movies, TV shows, cartoons and music videos. ivi.ru offers licensed content from all major content producers, includ ...
, KION. However online content platforms also face censorship in Russia.


Cinematography schools

*
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (russian: Всероссийский государственный институт кинематографии имени С. А. Герасимова, meaning ''All-Russian State Institute of Cinemat ...
(claimed to be the oldest film school in the world) *
New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a private for-profit film school and acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. The New York Film Academy was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, a former film, t ...
, Moscow campus *
Moscow International Film School Moscow ( , American English, US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia. The city stands on t ...
http://www.mifs.ru/index_eng.html Moscow International Film School homepage, translated *
Russian State Institute of Performing Arts The Russian State Institute of Performing Arts (russian: Российский государственный институт сценических искусств), formerly known as St Petersburg Theatre Arts Academy, formerly Leningrad State ...
, formerly Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinema (LGITMiK)


See also

*
Nika Award The Nika Award (sometimes styled NIKA Award) is the main annual national film award in Russia, presented by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science, and seen as the national equivalent of the Oscars. History The award was established i ...
– the main national film award in Russia *
Cinema of the world This is a list of cinema of the world by continent and country. By continent * Cinema of Africa *Cinema of Asia **South Asian cinema **Southeast Asian cinema * Cinema of North America * Cinema of Latin America *Cinema of Europe * Cinema of Oceani ...
*
History of Russian animation The history of Russian animation is the visual art form produced by Russian animation makers. As most of Russia's production of animation for cinema and television were created during Soviet times, it may also be referred to some extent as the histo ...
* List of Russian films *
Union of Cinematographers of the Russian Federation The Union of Cinematographers of the Russian Federation ( ru , Союз кинематографистов России) is the trade union of cinematographers, actors, and other professionals of Russian cinema. Founded in 1991, it was preceded b ...


References


External links


Russian film titles
at the
Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Russian Film Hub
{{Europe in topic, Cinema of