Russian Film Festival 2007
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On 27 September 2007 at 6pm the doors of the Apollo West End cinema opened, marking the official beginning of the first Russian Film Festival in London. Unofficially the festival began several months go as an idea, conceived by Academia Rossica. Despite not having a longer period of development, the festival showed no signs of prematurity, and it entered the London social scene as a fully confident and competent entity. It indeed presented ‘a rare chance to see the best of modern Russian cinema delights', as Michael Binyon states. (The Times)
The Apollo West End venue was transformed into a somewhat metaphysical space that married two countries, the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation, bringing together industry professionals and cinema-lovers, as well as harmoniously combining both the classics and newcomers of the Russian cinematic world. The cultural barriers have melted away (not without the aid of Ivan the Terrible and Baltika beer one might presume) and people began to speak one language - the language of true cinema. The richly diverse collection of films, screened during the festival, in itself epitomised the very essence of the Russian soul. Ranging from the profound, emotionally and intellectually stimulating creation of Pavel Lungin 'The Island', (‘...impressively bleak drama [...] beautifully shot and blessed with at least one captivating performance by [...]Pyotr Mamonov' Time Out ) to the aesthetically and sensually captivating 'Euphoria' (‘an achingly beautiful portrait of an intense love affair' Independent) and 'Travelling with Pets', to uplifting and heart-warming 'Mermaid' and 'Peter FM'.
‘Why was it necessary to screen Russian films in London?' asked a journalist from the BBC. The answer to this question is simple: there was no mercantile, opportunist idea behind the festival, it was simply a noble impulse and an unselfish desire to familiarise British audiences with recent Russian works, in the hope of bringing the two cultures together. Moreover, the festival provided those living away from the Motherland with an opportunity to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of Russianness, painted by their compatriots on the screen.
Pavel Lungin believes that the festival bears a similar emotional and spiritual value ‘as going to visit a friend'1 or as Victoria Isakova ('The Island') hopes, the festival would help to demonstrate the ‘depth of the Russian soul'.2 Indeed, the Russian soul is so deep and broad that one ‘brief encounter' would not suffice. That is why, inspired by the success of her new endeavour, Svetlana Adjoubei is already thinking about future projects. These include establishing a liaison with the upcoming London Film Festival, to which the Russian cultural ministry and the BFI officials have shown great interest. She also intends to organise several retrospectives and seasons dedicated to some of the great actors and directors, who have formed the rich history of Russian (Soviet and post-Soviet) cinema. And above all Svetlana aspires to establish an annual tradition of the Russian Film Festival in London.