List of highest-grossing films in Russia
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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, a ...
, 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 ''The Beautiful Leukanida'' (russian: Прекрасная Люканида, или Война усачей с рогачами) is a 1912 Russian short film directed and written by Władysław Starewicz Ladislas Starevich (russian: Владис ...
'' (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 s ...
. 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 The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...
, 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, and ...
'' (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 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
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 Aleksandr Yakovlevich Askoldov (russian: Александр Яковлевич Аскольдов; 17 June 1932 – 21 May 2018Richard Sandomir: ', The New York Times, June 6, 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-09.) was a Soviet Russian actor and film dire ...
, ''
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 Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The term ...
''. 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 Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The term ...
'' (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'' (1965), ''The Twelve Chairs (1976 film), The Twelve Chairs'' (1976), ''Walking the Streets of Moscow'' (1964), ''Gentlemen of Fortune'' (1971). Soviet filmmakers also produced historical adventure films, such as ''D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers'' (1978) and ''Gardes-Marines, Ahead!'' (1988). Among those, "osterns", the Soviet take on Western (genre), the westerns, became also popular. Examples of the Ostern include ''White Sun of the Desert'' (1970), ''The Headless Horseman (1972 film), The Headless Horseman'' (1972), ''Armed and Dangerous (1977 film), Armed and Dangerous'' (1977), ''A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines'' (1987). On TV, mystery and spy miniseries were prevalent, such as ''Seventeen Moments of Spring, The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed, Investigation Held by ZnaToKi'' and Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, 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 (film series), Liberation'' (1971) by Yuri Ozerov (director), Yuri Ozerov, ''The Dawns Here Are Quiet'' (1972) by Stanislav Rostotsky, ''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 film), 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'' (1985) by Elem Klimov. Co-production between Soviet Union and Japan, ''Dersu Uzala (1975 film), Dersu Uzala'', adapted from Dersu Uzala (book), Vladimir Arsenyev’s book, directed by Akira Kurosawa 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 is perhaps the most famous Russian animator of the Soviet period; his animated shorts ''Hedgehog in the Fog'' and ''Tale of Tales (1979 film), Tale of Tales'' gained worldwide recognition and have served as inspiration for many filmmakers. Larisa Shepitko, Larisa Shepitko's film ''The Ascent (1977 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'' by
Vladimir Menshov Vladimir Valentinovich Menshov (russian: Влади́мир Валенти́нович Меньшо́в; 17 September 1939 – 5 July 2021)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'' (1986), directorial debut of Konstantin Lopushansky, 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'' (1984), ''Runaway Train (film), Runaway Train'' (1985) and ''Tango & Cash'' (1989). With the onset of Perestroika and Glasnost in the mid-1980s, Soviet films emerged which began to address formerly censored topics, such as drug addiction, ''The Needle (1988 film), The Needle'' (1988) by Rashid Nugmanov, which starred rock singer Viktor Tsoi, and sexuality and alienation in Soviet society, ''Little Vera'' (1988) by Vasili Pichul. 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 Academy Awards, Oscars; ''
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 (1975 film), Dersu Uzala'', ''Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears''. File:Sergei Gerasimov 1941.JPG, Sergei Gerasimov (film director), Sergei Gerasimov, whose the oldest film school in the world, the VGIK, 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–Russian conflict, Chechen war also affecting filmmakers. Many films of that time dealt with war and Stalinism. Kinotavr was first held in 1990 in Podolsk, and then in 1991 in Sochi, 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 won the Best Director award for ''Taxi Blues'', 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'' in 1991. ''The Chekist'' directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin was a drama set in the period of Red Terror and told the story of a Cheka leader who gradually becomes unhinged. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. The drama ''Burnt by the Sun'' (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 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Foreign Language Film and the Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival), Grand Prix du Jury at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. In the context of the Russian World War II history Pavel Chukhrai filmed ''The Thief (1997 film), 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 54th Venice International Film Festival, Venice and became the 70th Academy Awards, 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. It was screened as part of the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. He also directed the sequel ''Brother 2'' in 2000. Valery Todorovsky, Valery Todorovsky's ''The Country of the Deaf'' (1998), a comedy film based on the screenplay by Renata Litvinova 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. In 1997 Aleksandr Sokurov had his international breakthrough with the arthouse drama ''Mother and Son (1997 film), Mother and Son''. It won the Special Silver St. George at the 20th Moscow International Film Festival in 1997. 1998 film ''Khrustalyov, My Car!'' directed by Aleksei German described the last days of Stalinist Russia. It was entered in the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. Nikita Milhalkov's international co-production ''The Barber of Siberia'' 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'' (1999) starring Sandrine Bonnaire and Catherine Deneuve 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, ''Women's Property'' (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 and featured actor Konstantin Khabensky in an early lead role. Cult crime comedy ''8 ½ $'' (1999), directorial debut of Grigori Konstantinopolsky, starring Ivan Okhlobystin 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 director who becomes romantically involved with a gangster's girlfriend. Svetlana Baskova directed the low-budget independently made Exploitation film, exploitation shock-horror film ''The Green Elephant'' 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'' (2000) by Aleksei Uchitel won awards at both Kinotavr and Nika. The biographical film was about the last love affair of writer Ivan Bunin. Uchitel's 2005 film ''Dreaming of Space'' won the Golden George at the Moscow Film Festival. Roman Kachanov (film director), Roman Kachanov directed the absurdist comedies ''Demobbed (2000 film), Demobbed'' (2000) and ''Down House (film), Down House'' (2001), which were both co-written with actor Ivan Okhlobystin who also starred in the films. Both are considered to be cult films in Russia. FIPRESCI awarded a special mention to the film ''Demobbed'' at the 2000 Kinotavr. ''The Cuckoo (film), The Cuckoo'' by Aleksandr Rogozhkin won multiple awards at the Moscow Film Festival in 2002. The WWII set film starred Finnish actor Ville Haapasalo as a stranded Finnish sniper. Egor Konchalovsky directed ''Antikiller'' (2002) starring Gosha Kutsenko as a police officer turned vigilante proved to be a success among Russian audiences. In 2002 Pavel Lungin directed the film ''Tycoon (2002 film), Tycoon'' about a Russian oligarch. Vladimir Mashkov played the Boris Berezovsky (businessman), Boris Berezovsky inspired lead character. 2002 comedy-drama film ''In Motion (film), In Motion'' was the directorial debut of Filipp Yankovsky. Feature film debut by Aleksei Alekseivich German, Aleksei German Jr. ''The Last Train'' (2003) won the Best Picture and International Film Critics' Awards at Thessaloniki. For his film ''Paper Soldier'', Aleksei German Jr. received the Silver Lion Award from the Venice Film Festival in 2008. Andrey Zvyagintsev's ''The Return (2003 film), The Return'' (2003), a Golden Lion award recipient, shows two brothers' test of life when their father suddenly returns that reaches a deep almost-mystic pitch. The ''Russian Ark'' (2003) by Alexander Sokurov, was filmed in a single 96-minute shot in the Russian Hermitage Museum 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 was one of the first Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters made after the collapse of the Soviet film industry. The supernatural thriller starred Konstantin Khabensky and was based on the Night Watch (Lukyanenko novel), eponymous book by Sergei Lukyanenko. It was followed by the sequel ''Day Watch (film), Day Watch'' (2006). Russian actress Renata Litvinova debuted as director in 2004 with the film ''Goddess: How I fell in Love''. The serialised novels by Boris Akunin set in Russian Revolution, pre-Revolutionary Russia evolve around fictional Erast Fandorin adventures in three popular movies: ''Azazel (film), The Azazel'' (2002) by Aleksandr Adabashyan, ''The Turkish Gambit (film), The Turkish Gambit'' (2005) by Dzhanik Fayziev and ''The State Counsellor (film), The State Counsellor'' (2005) by Filipp Yankovsky. Life of the Orthodox Monastery and their Christian miracles are described in the film ''The Island (2006 film), The Island'' (2006) by Pavel Lungin. The film was screened out of the competition at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival and received the Golden Eagle and Nika awards. Konstantin Lopushansky directed the science-fiction film ''The Ugly Swans (film), The Ugly Swans'' in 2006, based on the 1967 The Ugly Swans, novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. 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'', directed in 2007 as a sequel to The Irony of Fate, the 1976 film. 2008 musical film ''Stilyagi (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 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 won the award for best Dramatic Directing for her film ''Mermaid (2007 film), Mermaid''. Sci-fi picture ''Dark Planet (film), Dark Planet'' (2008-2009) based on the book by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, 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 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'' produced by Timur Bekmambetov was released. It spawned five sequels and one spin-off. ''How I Ended This Summer'' by Alexei Popogrebski, a film shot in remote Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Chukotka, won Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin's Film Festival Golden Bear in 2010. The same year arthouse film ''Silent Souls'' by Aleksey Fedorchenko won the Golden Osella at the Venice Film Festival for best cinematography. Yury Bykov debuted as a director with the film ''To Live (2010 film), To Live'' in 2010. His film ''The Major (film), The Major'' screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. His film ''The Fool (2014 film), The Fool'' won the Best Actor award at the 2014 Locarno Film Festival. ''Faust (2011 film), Faust'' by Aleksandr Sokurov won the Golden Lion at the 2011 Venice Film Festival. His follow-up film ''Francofonia'' received the Mimmo Rotella Award at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. 2011 romantic comedy ''Vykrutasy, Lucky Trouble'' directed by Levan Gabriadze and produced by Timur Bekmambetov, starred Hollywood actress Milla Jovovich who played the female lead opposite Konstantin Khabensky. ''Generation P (film), Generation Pi'' (2011) by Victor Ginzburg was an independently produced satiric comedy about advertisement business set in the 1990s. The film was based on Victor Pelevin’s 1999 Generation "П", novel of the same name. Aleksey Adrianov directed the high-budget Boris Akunin adaptation ''Spy (2012 Russian film), Spy'' in 2012. A Russian filmmaker who continued to make a name for himself in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood was Timur Bekmambetov, a producer and director of Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbuster films. In the United States he directed ''Wanted (2008 film), Wanted'' (2008), ''Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'' (2012) and ''Ben-Hur (2016 film), 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 (2012 film), The Snow Queen 1'', ''The Snow Queen 2: The Snow King, 2'', ''The Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice, 3'', ''Masha and the Bear'', ''Kikoriki'', ''Dobrynya Nikitich and Zmey Gorynych''. War epic ''Stalingrad (2013 film), Stalingrad'' 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 (2015 film), The Dawns Here Are Quiet'' (2015), ''Panfilov's 28 Men'' (2016), ''Sobibor (film), Sobibor'' (2018), ''T-34 (film), T-34'' (2019), ''The Last Frontier (2020 film), The Last Frontier'' (2020), ''V2. Escape from Hell'' (2021) and ''The Red Ghost'' (2021). 2013 comedy ''Kiss Them All!'' by Zhora Kryzhovnikov, 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, ''The Geographer Drank His Globe Away'', based on the novel of the same name by Alexei Viktorovich Ivanov, 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 and nominated for best foreign picture at the 87th Academy Awards. It won the 72nd Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe 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 Alekseivich German, Aleksei German won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for Cinematography at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival. His follow-up film ''Dovlatov (film), Dovlatov'' (2018) about writer Sergei Dovlatov, was awarded a Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for costume and production design. In 2015 Ilya Naishuller 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 (2021 film), Nobody'' (2021) in Hollywood. Andrei Konchalovsky received the Silver Lion for best director at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival for his black and white Holocaust drama ''Paradise (2016 film), Paradise'' in 2016. He previously received the Silver Lion for ''The Postman's White Nights'' 71st Venice International Film Festival, in 2014. 2016 one-man thriller film ''Collector (2016 film), Collector'' by Aleksei Krasovsky starring Konstantin Khabensky won an award at the Karlovy Vary Festival. Disaster film ''Flight Crew (film), Flight Crew'', directed by Nikolai Lebedev (film director), Nikolai Lebedev with actor Danila Kozlovsky was a success at the box-office in 2016. ''The Student (2016 film), The Student'' by Kirill Serebrennikov won the François Chalais Prize at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. 2016 film ''Zoology (film), Zoology'' by Ivan Tverdovsky won the Special Jury Award at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The 2017 sports drama ''Going Vertical'' 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. The Walt Disney Company CIS, Walt Disney produced Slavic fantasy film ''Last Knight (film), Last Knight'' directed by Dmitry Dyachenko 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 (film), Arrhythmia'' by director Boris Khlebnikov received the Best Actor award at the 2017 Karlovy Vary Film Festival. ''Matilda (2017 film), Matilda'' by Aleksei Uchitel about the relationship between ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska, 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 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'' 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. ''Anna's War'' by Aleksey Fedorchenko premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival in 2018. The film won the Golden Eagle Award (Russia), Golden Eagle Award in the Best Film category. Fedorchenko won the award for Best Director. 2019 comedy film ''Serf (film), Serf'' directed by Klim Shipenko and starring Miloš Biković 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 (film), Text'' starring Alexander Petrov (actor), 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 (2014 film), Viy'', ''Viy 2: Journey to China'' starring Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, ''The Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice'' and ''Quackerz''.


2020s

''Dau (film), Dau'', the first film of the controversial DAU (project), DAU project by director Ilya Khrzhanovsky, which was initially conceived as a biopic of Soviet scientist Lev Landau, 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'' by Vadim Perelman premiered at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival. At the 2020 Venice Film Festival, ''Dear Comrades!'' directed by Andrei Konchalovsky telling the story of the Novocherkassk massacre, won the Special Jury Prize. Historic romance film ''The Silver Skates (film), The Silver Skates'', by Michael Lockshin (film director), Michael Lockshin in his directorial debut, was released in 2020. Yakut language drama ''Scarecrow (2020 film), Scarecrow'' 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 (2021 film), House Arrest'' by Aleksei Alekseivich German, Aleksey German Jr. premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. '':ru:Последняя «Милая Болгария, The Last Darling Bulgaria'' by Aleksey Fedorchenko premiered at the 2021 Moscow Film Festival. Historical war drama film ''Ivan Denisovich (film), Ivan Denisovich'' 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 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, the novel by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn starred Filipp Yankovsky in the main role. In 2021 WWII action film ''The Red Ghost'' by Andrei Bogatyrev was released in Russian cinemas. 2021 film ''Gerda (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 and Aleksey Chupov's film ''Captain Volkonogov Escaped'' (2021), set during the Great Purge, was screened at the Venice International Film Festival. Surrealistic satire ''Petrov's Flu'' by Kirill Serebrennikov and Ossetian language drama ''Unclenching the Fists'' by Kira Kovalenko were screened at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. 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 (2021 film), Quarantine'' by Diana Ringo, co-produced by Finland and Russia, was an official non-English language 79th Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globes 2022 entry. ''Tchaikovsky's Wife'' by Kirill Serebrennikov was included in the competition program of 2022 Cannes Film Festival. '':ru:Продукты 24, Convenience Store'' 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 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, Berlinale, Cannes, Venice, and the Toronto Film Festival banned official Russian delegations. The Stockholm Film Festival banned all Russian projects funded by the government. The European Film Awards and Emmys banned Russian films outright. FIAPF (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 and NATPE. Several major international film distributors, including The Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures, Paramount Global, Paramount, and Warner Bros stopped screening films in Russia; prior to the invasion, movies produced in the United States made up 70% of the Russian film market. FIPRESCI 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 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 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. It allows companies get governmental financial support. In 2017 the number of market leaders was increased up to 10 companies. * Bazelevs Company 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 run by Andreasyan brothers and Georgy Malkov * Non-Stop Production run by Alexander Rodnyansky, Sergey Melkumov * Central Partnership 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, highest-grossing Russian films, as of early 2020, are the following: ''List of highest-grossing Russian films'' Note: This list does not include earlier Soviet films, which are listed separately on the ''list of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union''.


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 (Russia), Golden Eagle Award * Russian Guild of Film Critics * TEFI


Festivals

There are many film festivals in Russia. They include: *Artdocfest (Moscow and other cities) *Ekaterinburg Jewish Film Festival (Ekaterinburg) *Faces of Love Film Festival (Sochi) *Festival of Festivals, St. Petersburg *Kazan International Festival of Muslim Cinema (Kazan) *Kinoshock (in Anapa) * Kinotavr (Sochi) *KROK International Animated Films Festival (in cities along the Volga River, Volga or Dnieper River, Dnieper rivers) *Message to Man International Film Festival (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 *Open Russian Festival of Animated Film (Suzdal) * Pacific Meridian (in Vladivostok) * Saint Petersburg International Film Festival *Side by Side Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival (St Petersburg) *Sozvezdie (film festival), Sozvezdie (various locations) *Stalker (film festival), Stalker International Film Festival on Human Rights (Moscow and regional cities)


VOD platforms

Notable Video on Demand platforms include Okko, Start (streaming service), Start, Kinopoisk, Kinopoisk HD, :ru:Premier (компания), Premier, Ivi.ru, :ru:KION, KION. However online content platforms also face censorship in Russia.


Cinematography schools

* Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (claimed to be the oldest film school in the world) * New York Film Academy, Moscow campus * Moscow International Film Schoolhttp://www.mifs.ru/index_eng.html Moscow International Film School homepage, translated *Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, 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 * History of Russian animation * List of Russian films * Union of Cinematographers of the Russian Federation


References


External links


Russian film titles
at the Internet Movie Database
Russian Film Hub
{{Europe in topic, Cinema of Cinema of Russia,