 | |
 Logo and cover | |
| Categories | Entertainment,art,lifestyle,social issues |
|---|---|
| Frequency | twice a month (before 2015), monthly (2015) |
| Founder | Ilya Oskolkov-Tsentsiper |
| First issue | April, 1999 |
| Final issue | December, 2015 |
| Company | Rambler&Co |
| Country | Russia |
| Based in | Moscow |
| Website | mag |
Afisha (Russian:Афиша,lit. 'poster') was a Russianentertainment and lifestyle magazine published from April 1999 to December 2015 in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and 12 other Russia's major cities. In its peak yearsAfisha's readership reached approximately 1.5 million people.[1] Its online version remains one of Russia’s most popular media brands with a monthly Internet audience of more than 4.5 million.[2]
Founded in April 1999[3] by Moscow journalistIlya Oskolkov-Tsentsiper, American entrepreneurAndrew Paulson and businessman Anton KudryashovAfisha was intended as Moscow's version ofTime Out which Oskolkov-Tsentsiper and Paulson tried and failed to license.[4] It quickly outgrew its initial purpose as a bi-weekly listing magazine and ended up having a profound effect on Moscow’s cultural and nightlife scene.[5] In the next 10 years Afisha turned into a Russia's leading publishing house by launching an array of spin-off publications such as monthly travel magazineAfisha-Mir,alternative weeklyBolshoy Gorod, food magazineAfisha-Yeda and a series of Afisha-branded travel guide books.[6]
A team of young journalists, designers and photographers brought together by Oskolkov-Tsentsiper created a uniqueAfisha style which had a major impact onRussian media. Many high-profile Russian artists made their first public appearances onAfisha'sfront cover and the magazine popularised several newfashion trends – even introducing numerous new words into the Russian lexicon, from “deadline” to “hipster”.[7] A number of Russia's now prominent cultural figures started their careers writing for Afisha including film directors Avdotya Smirnova, Mikhail Brashinskiy andRoman Volobuev, award-winning writersLev Danilkin andYulia Yakovleva and Elena Kovalskaya who went on to become artistic director of Moscow’s Meyerhold Theater.[8]
Afisha played an active part in2011–2013 Russian protests with its senior stuff helping to organise rallies in Moscow,[9] publishing manifestos demanding fair election[10] and at some point putting the opposition leaderAlexei Navalny on the print edition's cover.[11] A 2013 issue with arainbow flag on its cover and the story "27 stories from the lives of Russian gays" played an important role in theLGBT movement in Russia.[12]
In 2014Afisha's parent companyProfMedia was bought by a Russian state-owned energy corporationGazprom.[13] Soon after the new owners have shuttered magazine's struggling print edition[14] and fired most of the editorial staff.[1] Plans to relaunch theAfisha as aquarterly were announced but never realized.[15][16]
In 2013Afisha launched daily updated sites "Vozduh", "Volna" and "Gorod", promptly telling about the latest developments in sphere of culture, music and life in Moscow, and "Serialy" - Russia's largest online television series library.
Annually the magazine held a music festivalAfisha Picnic, a one-day outdoor festival held in Moscow, Russia every summer. It took place on the territory ofKolomenskoye, a former tsar’s estate, now a state-owned historical, architectural and nature reserve museum, located only 10 km south-east of the city center.[17] Since its start in 2004, the Afisha Picnic has followed the concept that mixes professional music festival featuring performances of international artists and local independent musicians, and urban-style event with all sorts of entertainment, such as designers’ market, gastronomic area, games and crafts, sports and amusements, lectures and workshops,[18] and, on one occasion, even a dance floor on the rollerdrome. The festival was visited by 50,000 visitors that spread out over 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of land.[19]
Media related toAfisha (magazine) at Wikimedia Commons