Sacrifices of Andrei Tarkovsky

Dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Andrei Tarkovsky. The film uses unique materials related to the years Tarkovsky spent in Italy, personal accounts of friends and professionals, the shooting locations of his films, to what degree his works reflects his personal life. The film brings us closer to the man to whom contemporary filmmaking owes so much.

Mama Got Married

A sublime, exceptionally well acted film about a single working class mother and her teenage son. She finds a man and marries him, her son is jealous and full of hot air at first but comes to understand her in the end. That's all. The simplicity of the story notwithstanding, this is one of the most sincere and lyrical films to have been produced in the 1960s-1970s Soviet Union. Very realistic, too, showing the life as it was then. Lyusyena Ovchinnikova is superb, it is this film that makes one realize what a wonderful and under-appreciated a...

The Gambler

This lavish Soviet/Czech co-production is based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's famous novel, The Gambler, which tells the story of a Russian living in Germany, in a gambling resort. This film is set at the turn of the century, and was filmed in Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), Czechoslovakia. Played by Nikolai Burlyayev, the gambler succumbs completely to his addiction, using up every resource he has (human, spiritual and financial) in his wagering, finally becoming a rootless drifter.

Phaethon - The Son of the Sun

Cosmonauts investigate an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. They believe that it might be the remains of a planet. Parallels are drawn to the Greek god Phaethon, who in Greek mythology was the son of the sun god Helios.

Andrei Rublev

An expansive Russian drama, this film focuses on the life of revered religious icon painter Andrei Rublev. Drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era, the peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.

Пошехонская старина

The film consists of three short stories: 'The Unhappy Matryonka', 'Brother Fedos' and 'Vanka-Cain'.

Verses

April 1945. The Russian sniper Kolya joins the Bulgarian military contingent stationed in a Hungarian village. Kolya meets a Hungarian boy Yanush, with whom he shares his love of poetry. A German sniper is hiding in the woods and every day the death toll of the war grows higher. One day Yanush is killed by the German. Kolya seeks revenge.

The Cat Who Walked by Herself

Two parents put their child in his crib for the night and leave the room. The child starts crying, and the Cat comes into the room to keep him company. The child grabs her tail, and the Cat angrily reminds him that they agreed a thousand years ago that he would not do that. Upon seeing that the child doesn't remember, the Cat sighs and decides to tell him the story from the beginning. The story starts when the planet was young and life on Earth is starting with dinosaurs.

Under a Stone Sky

In the autumn of 1944, contrary to the order of the Nazi command to evacuate to the south, residents of the Norwegian town of Kirkenes took refuge in an abandoned mine. The command of the Soviet Army became aware of the intentions of the Nazis to blow up the old tunnels of the city, but the Soviet soldiers managed to prevent the tragedy.

Boy and Girl

On a shore of a sea met a boy and a girl. The warm tender feeling grew between them and lit their short acquaintance. Then the boy left, and the girl gave birth to a son...

Ask and It Will Be Yours

Several days from the life of a landowner's estate on the eve of Christmas are shown through the perception of a boy. The action takes place in Russia in the second half of the 19th century.

Spiderweb

Dreaming of a career for her child, the mother gives her soul to the devil, receiving the talent of a violinist for her son.

The Boy and the Pigeon

The boy wants to have a pigeon, but he can't afford to buy a bird. On the market for a pigeon asking for 100 rubles! Then he decides to buy a bird, bartering it for his father's album with stamps. Having caught a pigeon, the boy releases a bird into the sky. But the pigeon is returning to it's native dovecote, to it's former owner, who again demands money for it. This is a short movie about childhood and dreams, about the first life lessons that everyone has to face in childhood, when society and its laws bring changes into life, sometimes ...