Slavic

The Guide (known in Ukrainian as Поводир, або Квіти мають очі, or “The Guide, or Flowers Have Eyes”) is a 2014 Ukrainian drama directed by Oles Sanin (Олесь Санін), one of Ukraine’s best-loved homegrown filmmakers. He is also known for 2003’s Mamay. The film is based on true events—that of the repression of the kobzars (кобзар, blind bards) […]

Mamay (Мамай) is a 2003 Ukrainian drama considered one of the highlights of recent independent Ukrainian filmmaking. It is a new entry in the ancient Ukrainian tradition of stories about the Cossack Mamay. The story of Mamay is one of the foundational legends of Crimean and Cossack culture, and Mamay appears in a wide range […]

Igor Matvienko (Игорь Матвиенко) is a Russian producer, composer, and founder of a number of popular bands, such as Lyube (Любэ), Ivanushki International (Иванушки International), Girls (Девочки), Fabrika (Фабрика), Cuba (Куба), and Mobile Blondes (Мобильные Блондники). He has also produced many important Russian singers, such as Zhenya Belousova (Женя Белусова), Viktoria Dayneko (Виктория Дайнеко), and […]

Yulia Volkova (Юлия Олеговна Волкова) is a Russian singer and actress best known for her role in the group t.A.T.u. alongside Lena Katina (Елена Сергеевна Катина). After her work with t.A.T.u., Volkova has acted in film and television and, more recently, embarked on a solo musical career. Volkova’s biggest success as a musician came from t.A.T.u. […]

The Red Elvises (also known as Igor and the Red Elvises; or Красные Элвисы, in its less-frequent Russian form) is a Russian-American band that plays an eclectic mixture of rockabilly, reggae, folk, disco, funk, surf rock, and traditional Russian music. The band is based out of Los Angeles, but has had successful tours in Ukraine […]

Naik Borzov (Найк Владимирович Борзов) is a Russian rock musician, poet, and singer-songwriter. He is known as the founder of the seminal but short-lived Russian punk band Infection (Инфекция), and more widely for his solo work.  Naik organized Infection when he was only 14 years old. During their early career, the group produced two full-length albums, Onanism […]

Billy’s Band is a Russian band from St. Petersburg who plays across the genres of blues, swing, jazz, and rock’n’roll. Started in 2001 by Billy Novik (real name Vadim Valeryevich Novik, Вадим Валерьевич Новик) and Andrey Reznikov (Андрей Резников), Billy’s Band has gone on to produce five studio albums, along with three singles and a slew of […]

Russian Ark (Русский ковчег) is a 2002 film directed by Aleksandr Sokurov (Александр Сокуров). The film was shot in a single, 96-minute take and filmed entirely inside the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. It was an entry into the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. The film features an unnamed narrator who leads a character known as […]