The Russians are coming. Again, And this time not just to the nation’s hockey rinks. Running from Nov. 5 to Nov, 8 in Toronto, the KinoArt Festival returns with a wealth of Russian flicks, most previously unseen in North America,
Heading the line-up are two new, culturally authentic versions of Russian classics Anna Karenina and Taras Bulba previously only dealt with by non-Russian directors.
The Festival, which runs in Toronto, will also offer Russophiles a long-awaited sequel to Assa, the film that galvanized the underground Russian rock scene back in 1987. Also featured is the North American premiere of Metro, a stunning and unique documentary on the monumental Moscow subway, the first film of its kind to cover this subject. As well, there’s the 2008 Russian box-office hit We are From the Future, Andrei Maliukov’s time-traveling adventure that takes place in St. Petersburg during the fierce defence of the city in 1942.
After a successful launch in 2007, KinoArt Festival is back and this year brings with it the massive premiere of Anna Karenina along with legendary Russian director Sergey Solovyev and actress Tatyana Drubich. Solovyev’s version of the Leo Tolstoy’s epic love story will turn heads and is bound to provoke cinematic debate.
“We are very excited to bring Toronto our second KinoArt Festival,” says Alla-Ani Poliakova, Founder and Executive Director of the Festival. “Our goal has always been to chronicle the evolution of Russian films, past and present through our film event, and this year we are really thrilled to be offering the most impressive feature films, documentaries, and shorts, some never before seen, and bring that to Toronto.”
Other highlights at KinoArt include director Kirill Serebrennikov’s Yuriev Den, about a famous opera singer, which won the Grand Prix at Warsaw International Film Festival in 2008.
Making its debut in Toronto is Taras Bulba, directed by renowned director Vladimir Bortko it is based on the book by Nikolai Gogol (called “one of the 10 greatest books of all time” by Ernest Hemingway). Famously embraced by Hollywood as a starring vehicle for the late Yul Brynner, it’s an enduring controversial story about Ukraine's Cossack warriors and their campaign to defend their lands from the advancing Polish armies.
From the notorious Russian avant garde director Alexei Balabanov, comes Morphine, his interpretation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s A Country Doctor's Notebook. The film’s screenplay was written by another famous Russian director, Sergei Bodrov, Jr. This joint effort recounts the events of 1917, the turbulent year of the Russian Revolution.
Shultes takes the audience on an existential voyage to Moscow, into the heart of Russia’s capital. The film is shown through the eyes of an ordinary Muscovite, who lives in an ordinary apartment building somewhere on the outskirts of the city, alone. His only connection to reality: his notepad.
The Festival closes with a searing documentary, Process directed by Alexander Zeldovich and devoted to the anniversary of the 1952 execution of the Jewish anti-fascist committee of the former U.S.S.R. Process, co-presented by the Jewish Film Festival, will be followed by a Q&A.
The same evening, visiting director Sergey Solovyev (Anna Karenina) will screen Assa – a Russian cult favourite from the late 80’s. His original film gave voice to the underground rock music scene, with the lead played by the charismatic rocker Victor Tsoy (the film’s soundtrack features a number of songs performed by a variety of Russian rock singers). Following the screening of Assa, after a wait of 22 years, will be the North American premiere of the sequel Assa 2. Solovyev’s sequel portrays the new generation in contemporary Russia, within a complex structure that references Solovyev’s own Anna Karenina.
Distinguished Professor of Eurasian Cultural History at the University of Toronto, Thomas Lahusen, and a special guest from Russia will be on hand to do a guest panel on November 6. A director, producer and cinematographer, Lahusen has published many books and directed films about the Soviet. This panel will discuss the past, present and future of Russian cinematography and discuss the stigma still surrounding Russian filmmaking today.
Says Alla-Ani Poliakova, “ The reason for doing the festival is simply to bring Russian cinema to the Toronto audiences. The Russian film industry is blooming and deserves attention. The films are an opportunity to see modern day Russia as it is or get an idea of what is important to Russian artists and a look into their way of presenting it.
Russian cinema has a great history and been a strong influence for filmmakers around the world. We are also the only festival that presents the entire gamut of films from features to documentaries and even animation and as we grow, who knows what other stuff we can come up with”
Journalist and musician Alexander Lipnitskii was one of the founders of the group «Sounds Moo», and his house at Nikolina Gora in the 80's became the main refuge for rock musicians in the capital. Initially interested in jazz, about which he wrote articles for the Soviet periodicals, participated in the organization of the festival «Spring rhythms» in Tbilisi, which actually counts the official history of Soviet rock, supported by the leading groups of St. Petersburg
In recent years, he created a series of television programs on the main heroes of Russian rock in the 80's. Itself in many ways a symbol of the era, Lipnitsky is now considered one of the most competent of Russian rock historians.
For the Toronto KinoArtFestival, Lipnitski screens a program consisted of his TV novellas on the key figures and bands of Russian rock-music, such as Alexandr Bashlachev, Sergei Kurekhin, Alexei Khvostenko, AUKTSYON band, Moo Sounds, KINO, AQUIARIUM and ZOOPARK.
For venue and ticket info, check
www.kinoartfestival.com
