The USSR did its best to control culture and make it serve the needs of the state. However, culture, like life itself, finds a way of spreading, evolving, and surviving, often against all odds. Rock music had, by the 60s and 70s, become a cultural phenomenon in Europe and America and its spread to the […]
The Soviet-era bards were singer-songwriters who combined poetic lyricism with simple, guitar-accompanied melodies. The artform emerged in the 1950s shortly after the death of Stalin. Although it remained underground for nearly all of the Soviet period, it became a soundtrack for the lives of many Soviet citizens throughout the 1960s and 70s and beyond. Bardic […]
For language learners, classic cartoons offer an engaging and accessible way to absorb vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context. When it comes to Russian, few resources are as rich and entertaining as the animated films produced by Soyuzmultfilm, which was the Soviet Union’s and is now Russia’s premier animation studio. Founded in 1936, Soyuzmultfilm has to […]
These cartoons are full of joyful, bright, and homey holiday charm. It’s no secret that the holiday season is most precious to us in childhood. Because for children, it is not just an opportunity to gather together with loved ones. It’s an occasion for presents, Grandfather Frost, Snegurochka, beautiful spruce trees, and hope for a […]
Many of Latvia’s most successful modern films explore expressly Latvian themes, placing the unique cultural, historical, and social experiences of the Latvian people on screen. These films often explore topics such as Latvia’s difficult past of war and occupation, telling the stories of Latvia’s national heroes, or exploring the complexities of Latvia’s national identity. Below […]
PopKult gives an expansive overview of contemporary pop culture in Eurasia. Explore our site for infromation on movies, music, brands, TV, and much more. Here are a few other resources you might check out for more Russian classic movies, cutting-edge bands, and language practice! Watch More Russian Movies! Below are links to sites that […]
“Birthday” is a Soviet animated short film from 1959, based on a Dagestani folktale. The story follows a boy named Murat, who lives with his grandfather in a high mountain village. One day, Murat watches his grandfather record the birth of a lamb in the family book and is surprised to find that his own […]
Russian film critic Maya Turovskaya writes in Tarkovsky: Cinema as Poetry that when she attended a special screening of Andrey Tarkovsky’s first film, Ivan’s Childhood, at a meeting of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR, the prevailing opinion amongst the audience was that of awe mixed with confusion. This feeling of mystification, of seeing […]
Here are five Kazakh bands working to bring traditional Kazakh instrumentation and musical styles into modern music. Roksonaki Seamless Kazakh Folk Rock Roksonaki is a Kazakh band that was formed in 2006. Its name means “lightning” in Kazakh, chosen to represent the band’s energetic and electrifying musical style. They are known for their unique fusion […]
Отава Ё is a folk music group founded in St. Petersburg, Russia. This popular folk fusion group started in 2003 as the side project of two bands – Reelroad and Tales of the Forest. The two members of Reelroad, Alexey Belkin and Alexei Skosyrev, paired up with two members of Tales of the Forest, Dmitry […]
Russian soccer caught the world’s attention in 2018, when Russia hosted a very successful FIFA World Cup. The game is Russia’s most popular national sport, ranking just above hockey, and Russia poured millions into new stadiums and renovations on older, Soviet-built stadiums. This construction was made as a point of pride for the Russian government, […]
There are many different things you can do on . One of the first things you do when creating a social media account is to set your , then and . When you meet someone new, you may want to on Facebook or ВК, or on . On the other hand, if you’ve lost touch […]
