4th Russian Film Festival, 29 October – 7 November Dear Friends! The Russian Film Festival is getting ready to present London with this year's best premieres in Russian cinema. The Main Programme As always, the main festival programme showcases the best Russian films, award-winners at major international and Russian film festivals. These films include, 'Silent Souls' (Ovsyanki), directed by Alexei Fedorchenko and winner of three prizes at the Venice Film Festival, 'How I Ended This Summer' by Alexei Popogrebsky, awarded prizes for best actor and best cinematography at the Berlinale, 'One War' by Vera Glagoleva, Grand Prix winner at Sofia International Film Festival and Russia's nomination for the Oscars and Svetlana Proscurina's latest film 'The Truce', winner of the main prize at Kinotavr. As in previous years, guests include directors, producers and actors who come to London specially to present their films at the festival. Documentaries – 'Noughties Art' This year's documentary programme sums up the last decade with screenings of the ten best Russian documentary films, one for each year. The programme is presented by the great director and documentary maker, Vitaly Mansky, president of the ArtDocFest. Animation Alongside the main programme and documentaries, we have also put together a comprehensive and diverse programme of animation. As part of our festival 'Astral dogs Belka and Strelka' take a trip to outer space captained by director Inna Evlannikova, while Irina Evteeva, famous for her graceful and original style, brings 'Little Tragedies' to the screen. These films will capture the hearts of adults and childen alike. As well as an extensive programme of full length animation, we will be screening a special programme for our young audiences, presenting the best of award-winning Russian animated films of recent years Special Screenings This year's film festival also includes a retrospective of the great actor and director Sergei Bondarchuk's films and the works of Leo Tolstoy on film, as well as a retrospective of masters of Soviet and Russian animation. Venue For the fourth year in a row the Russian Film Festival will take place at the Apollo Piccadilly, one of London's best cinemas.

Sunday 30 May, 5pm, Apollo Cinema
Immerse yourself in the world of surrealist Russian animation! On this very special Sunday evening we will be holding a one off screening of spectacular new Russian award-winning animations, presented by the famous Russian writer, Dmitry Bykov. The animations are based on stories by some of Russia’s wittiest writers, such as Chekhov, Krzhizhanovsky, Mayakovsky and Kharms, and include the Nika prize

Is Tolstoy Alive? Vladimir Tolstoy in conversation with James Meek Monday 19 April, 6.30pm at Waterstones Piccadilly* Vladimir Tolstoy is the great great grandson of one of the biggest Russian writers – Leo Tolstoy. Since 1994 he has been the director of the Leo Tolstoy museum in Yasnaya Polyana. Vladimir is often seen as the official representative of Leo Tolstoy’s cultural heritage. In 2001 he made a famous appeal to the Russian Orthodox Church, petitioning the repeal of the excommunication of his famous ancestor – a historical event that in Vladimir Tolstoy’s view turned out to have a fatal effect on the whole of Russian society. Under Vladimir Tolstoy’s guidance Yasnaya Polyana has been set up not only as a museum documenting Leo Tolstoy’s life and literary work, but also as a place to keep the spirit of the great writer alive. Writers and intellectuals are regularly invited to take part in seminars and discuss the fundamental questions of life that for the great Russian writer were of such high importance. The museum also runs its own publishing house and offers translation grants to support new translations of Leo Tolstoy’s books. James Meek is a writer, critic and reporter living in London. He is the author of four novels and two collections of short stories. Between 1991 and 1999 he lived in Ukraine and Russia, where his 2005 novel The People's Act of Love was set. In 1994 he visited Vladimir Tolstoy at the ancestral Tolstoy estate in Yasnaya Polyana. His most recent book, We Are Now Beginning Our Descent, was awarded the Prince Maurice Prize. * Tickets to this event are £3, redeemable against purchase of any book. Call Waterstones Piccadilly on 020 7851 2400 to book tickets in advance

ACADEMIA ROSSICA's aim is to bring writers, publishers and translators together and to help create structures to support the publication and distribution of Russian literature in the English speaking world. The Translators Day will be a key element of this project, which will set the ground for a stronger recognition and promotion of literary translation from Russian into English. 10.30 – 11.30 PEN Café, EC2 Rossica Translation Prize, Young Translators Prize award. A special Rossica Translation award to Stanley Mitchell 11.30 –12.00 BFR, Y455 Russkiy Mir Translation Grants Presentation 12.00 – 13.00 BFR, Y455 Roundtable: Translating Russia 13.30 –14.30 BFR, Y455 Presentation: Famous Englishmen, Known Only in Russia Presentation: Misreading English Literature – A few true stories from Soviet translations 15.00 – 15.30 BFR, Y455 New Millennium Prize Award. Winner - Mary Hobson, poet and translator. 16.00 – 16.30 PEN Café, EC2 Market Focus Handover Ceremony, Champagne Reception Interpreting for the Russian guests at the LBF and SLOVO festival For those interested in offering their professional translation skills during the London Book Fair, ACADEMIA ROSSICA will have a series of events and seminars where interpreters will be needed in order for Russian and UK guests to communicate with each other. This an excellent opportunity for professional translators to play an involved and encouraging role in the development of future publishing projects that will lead to the further promotion and distribution of Russian literature in the English speaking world. To register as an interpreter, please contact Rodrigo@academia-rossica.org by 15th April.

Andrey Rodionov is one of Moscow’s most conspicuous poets. He was born in the town of Mytischi outside Moscow, and his sometimes harsh, gritty poetry describes the reality of this small-town upbringing. He was lead singer of a punk band for some years and, although he is no longer a musician, performance has remained important as and element of his poetry: he regularly performs his poetry live and is conscious of his need for and audience’s response to his reading.

4 September 2009, 7pm
Hammersmith Apollo
The famous Russian singer Valery Meladze with only one live performance! Tickets are now on sale! 2 weeks before, on 21 August 2009, prize draw to win free tickets to Valery Meladze concert! To take part, simple register on our website, and you will enter price draw automatically. Register to receive information about our future events.

Alexander Arkhangelsky was born in Moscow in 1962. He graduated in pedagogy and wrote a dissertation about Pushkin. At different times he has been a radio-journalist, written for literary journals and political newspapers, and has taught.

The Beanpole Publishing House was created as a subsidiary of the famous St. Petersburg publishers ‘Signs’. They provide a broad range of publishing services and specialise in the publication of fine art albums and Russian and English catalogues of contemporary Russian orthodox icons. The Beanpole Publishing House collaborates with authors and collectors.

The special documentary programme will include both feature length and short films of famous and emerging Russian filmmakers.

6 June, 7pm, afterparty with DJ Taras till 01.00
O2 Arena
Rock group BI-2 is one of the most famous Russian rock groups. Since its formation in 1989 the group has released many very successful albums, has won some very prestigious awards including MTV Russia Music Awards in 2007, has been involved in several major music projects and has produced soundtracks to some of the very best Russian action movies, including Brat-2 (Brother-2). Their music is well known and easily recognizable for its rock-and-roll drive and fun-loving lyrics.

26 February, 20.00
£8
Charlie Wright's, Old Street
"Mass Ave Project" is a fusion of styles, personalities, grooves and harmonies consisting of some of the best graduates and students of the world-renowned Berklee College of Music. The music played is all-original instrumental Jamiroquai meets John Scofield meets Herbie Hancock with elements of jazz and fusion.

by Various
Translated by Kirsten Lodge (poetry), Margo Shohl Rosen and Grigory Dashevsky (prose)
Dedalus Books, 2007, pp.343
The sensationalism and morbid pessimism that characterized French decadence in the late nineteenth century quickly attracted converts throughout Europe, including Russia. The Dedalus Book of Russian Decadence: Perversity, Despair and Collapse brings together horrifying, dramatic and erotic short stories and poetry, most of which have never before been translated into English, by the most decadent Russian writers.

by Viktor Shklovsky
Translated by Shushan Avagyan
Dalkey Archive Press; 2007; pp. 428
One of the greatest literary minds of the twentieth century, Viktor Shklovsky writes the critical equivalent of what Ross Chambers calls "loiterature"—writing that roams, playfully digresses, moving freely between the literary work and the world.

by Alexandr Terekhov
Translated by Natalie Roy and B.T. Gall
Alma Books; 2008; pp. 347
Rats and human beings aren't that far apart from each other in "The Rat-Killer". As the political intrigue of phantasmagorical post-communist reality develops into nightmare, the greed, cunning and malice of the humans more and more resemble the behaviour of the large communities of destructive rodents, while the rats acquire more and more human features.

The special documentary programme will include both feature length and short films of famous and emerging Russian filmmakers.

The special documentary programme will include both feature length and short films of famous and emerging Russian filmmakers.

Apollo West End
The Blue Noses, aka artists Aexander Shaburov and Vyacheslav Mizin, are one of the most internationally famous Russian art-groups. Taking part in all major contemporary art biennales and media-forums, the The Blue Noses work consists of video-art, performance and collage.

Russia, 2008, 137 min
Dir. Kirill Serebrennikov
Lubov, a world famous opera diva, arrives in her native town of Youriev-Polskii in order to show it to her teenage son before they both leave Russia for Europe. During one of their visits to a local Kremlin, Lubov’s son mysteriously disappears.

Imperial Russian Ballet
Oranienbaum: Chinoiserie a la Russe
A la Russe: the Russian art of performance through the 18th and 19th centuries is celebrated in this issue, dedicated to Russia’s most famous ballets and to Catherine the Great’s personal Dacha – Oranienbaum.

Tretyakov Gallery
This issue is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Tretyakov Gallery, Russia’s most famous art museum which contains the national collection of Russian art.

Revelations in Colour
Dionisy & KandinskyThis issue of ROSSICA is dedicated to two great Russian artists, Dionisy and Vasily Kandinsky who were divided by four centuries.

Imperial Russian Ballet
Oranienbaum: Chinoiserie a la Russe
A la Russe: the Russian art of performance through the 18th and 19th centuries is celebrated in this issue, dedicated to Russia’s most famous ballets and to Catherine the Great’s personal Dacha – Oranienbaum.

Revelations in Colour
Dionisy & KandinskyThis issue of ROSSICA is dedicated to two great Russian artists, Dionisy and Vasily Kandinsky who were divided by four centuries.

Tretyakov Gallery
This issue is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Tretyakov Gallery, Russia’s most famous art museum which contains the national collection of Russian art.