In his lecture, Kirill Adibekov suggests an unconventional view of Russian cinema, from the pre-revolutionary epoch (stop-motion animation of Russian “Melies” Ladislas Starevich) to the controversial multidisciplinary project DAU by Ilya Khrzhanovsky (2019). Instead of a traditional timeline, he presents an original narrative that unfolds in a nonlinear fashion, explaining major trends and categories that conform to the wider social history of the country. Through this talk one can learn not only about well-known recognized classics, but also about overlooked masterpieces (A Severe Young Man, 1936), experiments that goes beyond cinematic conventions (Sergei Eisenstein's adaptation of The Capital), “nauchpop” (scientific educational films), as well as films made in “Eastern” Soviet republics (such as Sergei Parazhanov or Kazakh new wave).
Recommended further readings
Inside the Film Factory. New Approaches to Russian and Soviet Cinema. Edited by Richard Taylor and Ian Christie. London: Routledge, 1994.
Vogman, Elena. Dance of Values. Sergei Eisenstein’s Capital Project. Zurich: Diaphanes, 2019.
Andrey Tarkovsky: Life and Work: Film by Film, Stills, Polaroids & Writings. Edited by Andrey Tarkovsky Jun., Hans-Joachim Schlegel and Lothar Schirmer. Schirmer/Mosel, 2019.
A History of Russian Culture: Essentials
A series of seven lectures conducted by prominent Russian scholars in cinema, literature, visual art, theater, music, architecture, and design. Each of the speakers presents a broad authorial perspective on their respective fields and puts it in the wider cultural and social landscape. What distinguishes this crash course from others is that it highlights not only Western, but also Eastern influences, relations, and parallels. This series is held in English with Arabic subtitles and will be accompanied by the Russian Culture Manual. Participants: Kirill Adibekov, Alexei Vdovin, Kirill Svetlyakov, Valery Zolotukhin, Roman Nasonov, Anna Bronovitskaya, and Alexandra Sankova.
