28 Panfilovtsev (28 панфиловцев) is a 2016 war drama directed by Kim Duzhinin (Ким Дружинин) and Andrey Shalopa (Андрей Шалопа). The initial money for the film came entirely from crowdfunding, from which the directors raised more than 34 million rubles, making it one of the most successful crowdfunded film projects to date. Recently, 28 Panfilovtsev has also received […]
The Groom (Жених) is a 2016 Russian comedy and the directorial debut of Aleksandr Nezlobin (Александр Незлобин). Released in September 2016, the film stars Sergey Svetlakov (Сергей Светлаков), Olga Kartunkova (Ольга Картункова), Sergey Burunov (Сергей Бурунов), Georgiy Dronov (Георгий Дронов), and Aleksandr Demidov (Александр Демидов). The film is the story of Helmut, a German man who […]
The Duelist (Дуэлянт) is a 2016 Russian adventure drama written and directed by indie filmmaker Aleksey Mizgirev (Алексей Мизгирев). Starring Pyotr Fyodorov (Пётр Фёдоров), Vladimir Mashkov (Владимир Машков), and Sergeу Garmash (Сергей Гармаш), the film is the third Russian film released in IMAX. The film is set in Saint Petersburg in 1860. The retired officer Yakovlev […]
Black Lightning (Чёрная молния) is a 2009 Russian fantasy/adventure/superhero film. It is about a 1966-issue Volga car (one of the Soviet Union’s makes) that Dmitry Maikov, a high school student, is given by his father. It turns out that the car can actually fly … and it contains missile launchers. Dmitry goes through multiple changes […]
Taras Bulba (Тарас Бульба) is a 2009 Russian historical drama based on the Gogol story of the same name. The story, first published in the 1830s, is about a Zaporozhian Cossack (a Ukrainian self-governing military tribe) colonel, Taras Bulba—loosely based on some historical figures—and his sons, who join the war against Poland. Much of the […]
We’re From the Future 2 (Мы из будущего 2; also Paradox Soldiers in English) is a 2010 Russian film. It is the sequel to the 2008 We’re From the Future. Both are war/drama/fantasy films about time travel. In the first film, the four heroes accidentally went back in time and had to fight in World […]
Twists and Turns (Выкрутасы; also called Lucky Trouble in English) is a 2010 Russian romantic comedy. It stars Milla Jovovich (Милла Йовович), the Ukrainian-American actress who also speaks Russian, and it was directed by Levan Gabriadze (Леван Габриадзе), who directed two of the Christmas Trees (Ёлки) movies. Russian actress Galina Loginova (Галина Логинова), Jovovich’s real-life […]
Love Is a Carrot 3 (Любовь-морковь 3) is the third in the Love Is a Carrot trilogy, Russia’s own version of Freaky Friday. (“Love is a carrot” is a Russian phrase that, drawing on the silly-sounding rhyme between the words любовь, love, and морковь, carrot, dismisses love as something silly or cutesy. It’s often used […]
Winnie-the-Pooh (Винни Пух in Russian) is a Soviet/Russian animated “children’s” series, and the Russian version of the all-time American classic (well, sort of). The Russian version, although also based on the book series, is different in almost every way—from the unusual animation to the sometimes dark subject matter and Pooh’s exceptional air of melancholy. Technically, […]
