| Cinema of Russia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| No. ofscreens | 4,372 (2016)[1] |
| • Per capita | 2.1 per 100,000 (2011)[2] |
| Main distributors | United Pictures (27.7%) The Walt Disney Company (24.4%; as of 2021)[3]
|
| Produced feature films (2016)[1] | |
| Total | 101 |
| Number of admissions (2016)[1] | |
| Total | 193,500,000 |
| • Per capita | 1.2 (2012)[5] |
| National films | 32,100,000 (16.8%) |
| Gross box office (2016)[1] | |
| Total | US$722.5 million |
| National films | 15.5% |
Thecinema of Russia refers to the film industry inRussia, engaged in production of motion pictures in Russian language.
It began in theRussian Empire, widely developed in theSoviet Union and in the years following itsdissolution. The Russian film industry would remain internationally recognized. In the 21st century, Russian cinema has become known internationally with films such asHardcore Henry (2015),Leviathan (2014),Night Watch (2004) andBrother (1997). TheMoscow International Film Festival began in Moscow in 1935. TheNika Award is the main annual national film award in Russia.
%2c_%25D0%25BF%25D0%25B5%25D1%2580%25D0%25B5%25D1%2588%25D0%25B5%25D0%25B4%25D1%2588%25D0%25B8%25D0%25B9_%25D0%25B2_%25D0%25BE%25D0%25B1%25D1%2589%25D0%25B5%25D1%2581%25D1%2582%25D0%25B2%25D0%25B5%25D0%25BD%25D0%25BD%25D0%25BE%25D0%25B5_%25D0%25B4%25D0%25BE%25D1%2581%25D1%2582%25D0%25BE%25D1%258F%25D0%25BD%25D0%25B8%25D0%25B5.jpg)
The first films seen in theRussian Empire were brought in by theLumière brothers, who exhibited films in Moscow andSt. Petersburg in May 1896. That same month, Lumière cameramanCamille Cerf made the first film in Russia, recording the coronation ofNicholas II at theKremlin.[6]
Aleksandr Drankov produced the first Russian narrative filmStenka Razin (1908), based on events told in a folk song and directed byVladimir Romashkov. Among the notable Russian filmmakers of the era wereAleksandr Khanzhonkov andIvan Mozzhukhin, who madeDefence of Sevastopol in 1912.Yakov Protazanov madeDeparture of a Grand Old Man (1912), abiographical film aboutLev Tolstoy.
Animation pioneerLadislas Starevich made the first Russian animated film (and the firststop motion puppet film with a story) in 1910 –Lucanus Cervus. His other stop-motion shortsThe Beautiful Leukanida (1912) andThe Cameraman's Revenge (1912), produced for Aleksandr Khanzhonkov, are also among the first animated films. In the following years, Starevich made shorts based on fables such asThe Grasshopper and the Ant (1913), as well as World War I propaganda films.[7]
Olga Preobrazhenskaya was the first woman director of Russia. In 1916 she made her directorial debutMiss Peasant. However, the film has been lost. In the Soviet era she directedWomen of Ryazan (1927).
DuringWorld War I, imports dropped drastically, and Russian filmmakers turned out anti-German, nationalistic films. In 1916, 499 films were made in Russia, more than three times the number of three years earlier.
TheRussian Revolution brought more change, with a number of films with anti-Tsarist themes. The last significant film of the era, made in 1917, wasFather Sergius byYakov Protazanov andAlexandre Volkoff. It would become the first new film release of the Soviet era.
Vladimir Lenin was the first political leader of the twentieth century to recognize the importance of film. He saw film as a way to unite the nation over which theBolsheviks, then a minority party of some 200,000 members, had assumed leadership.
The cinema is for us the most important of the arts.
— Vladimir Lenin[8]
His government gave top priority to the rapid development of the Soviet film industry, which was nationalized in August 1919 and put under the direct authority of Lenin's wife,Nadezhda Krupskaya.[8]
One of the first acts of the Cinema Committee was to create a professional film school in Moscow to train directors, technicians, and actors for the cinema. TheAll Union State Institute of Cinematography was the first such school in the world.[8][9]Lev Kuleshov, who taught at the school, formulated the groundbreaking editing process calledmontage, which he conceived of as an expressive process whereby dissimilar images could be linked together to create non-literal or symbolic meaning. His work has been referred to as theKuleshov effect. Two of Kuleshov's most famous students wereSergey Eisenstein andVsevolod Pudovkin.[8]
AlthoughRussian was the dominant language in films during the Soviet era, the cinema of the Soviet Union encompassed films of theArmenian SSR,Georgian SSR,Ukrainian SSR, and, to a lesser degree,Lithuanian SSR,Byelorussian SSR, andMoldavian SSR. For much of the Soviet Union's history, with notable exceptions in the 1920s and the late 1980s, film content was heavily circumscribed and subject to censorship and bureaucratic state control.
The development of the soviet film industry was innovative and linked with theConstructivist art movement. In 1922–3,Kino-Fot became the first Soviet cinema magazine and reflected the constructivist views of its editor,Aleksei Gan.
As with much Soviet art during the 1920s, films addressed major social and political events of the time. An important film of this period wasSergei Eisenstein'sThe Battleship Potemkin, not only because of its depiction of events leading up to the1905 Revolution, but also because of innovative cinematic techniques, such as the use ofjump-cuts to achieve political ends. To this day,Battleship Potemkin is considered one of thegreatest films of all time.[10][11][12][13]
Vsevolod Pudovkin developed a new theory of montage based on cognitive linkage rather than dialectical collision. Pudovkin'sMother (1926) was internationally acclaimed for its montage, as well as for its emotional qualities. Later Pudovkin was publicly charged with formalism for his experimental sound filmA Simple Case (1932), which he was forced to release without its sound track.[8]
The film is not shot, but built, built up from the separate strips of celluloid that are its raw material.
— Vsevolod Pudovkin[8]
Two other key filmmakers of the Soviet silent era wereAleksandr Dovzhenko andDziga Vertov. Dovzhenko's best known work is hisUkraine Trilogy, and more specifically the filmEarth (1930). Vertov is well known for his filmMan with a Movie Camera (1929) and theKino-Eye theory – that the camera, like the human eye, is best used to explore real life, which had a huge impact on documentary filmmaking.[8][14]
However, with the consolidation of Stalinist power in the Soviet Union, and the emergence ofSocialist realism as state policy, which carried over from painting and sculpture into filmmaking, Soviet film became subject to almost total state control.
Films released in the 1930s include the popular musicalsJolly Fellows (1934),Circus (1936) andVolga-Volga (1938) directed by the longtime collaborator of Sergei Eisenstein,Grigori Aleksandrov. These films starred leading actress of the timeLyubov Orlova, who was also Aleksandrov's wife.
The New Gulliver (1935) byAleksandr Ptushko is a landmark in stop-motion animation.[15]
In the 1930s and the 1940s Eisenstein directed two historical epics –Aleksandr Nevsky (1938) andIvan the Terrible (1944). Both films were scored by composerSergei Prokofiev.
Immediately after the end of theSecond World War, the Sovietcolor films such asThe Stone Flower (1947) byAleksandr Ptushko,Ballad of Siberia (1947), andCossacks of the Kuban (1949), both by directorIvan Pyryev, were released.
Soviet cinema went into rapid decline after the World War II: film production fell from 19 features in 1945 to 5 in 1952. The situation did not improve until the late 1950s when Soviet films achieved critical success partly as a result, similar to the cinema of other Eastern Bloc countries, for reflecting the tension between independent creativity and state-directed outcomes.[8]
.jpg)
In the late 1950s and early 1960s Soviet film-makers were given a less constricted environment, and while censorship remained, films emerged which began to be recognised outside the Soviet bloc such asBallad of a Soldier byGrigory Chukhray which won the 1961BAFTA Award for Best Film and the1958Palme d'Or winningThe Cranes Are Flying byMikhail Kalatozov.The Height (1957) byAleksander Zarkhi is considered to be one of the best films of the 1950s (it also became the foundation of theBard movement). Yet, some films did not receive a wide release;The Story of Asya Klyachina (1966) byAndrei Konchalovsky,Commissar (1967) byAleksandr Askoldov,Brief Encounters (1967) byKira Muratova andTrial on the Road (1971) byAleksei German.
The most critically acclaimed Russian director of the 1960s and 1970s wasAndrei Tarkovsky, who directed the groundbreakingart-house filmsIvan's Childhood,Andrei Rublev,Solaris,Mirror andStalker.[8] His films won awards at Cannes and Venice Film Festival. His debut filmIvan's Childhood won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 1962. Tarkovsky's filmAndrei Rublev (1966) won theFIPRESCI prize at the 1969 Cannes Festival.[16] ForStalker (1979), Tarkovsky won the Ecumenical Jury Prize in Cannes in 1980. He also won the Special Grand Prize forSolaris in 1972 and forSacrifice at Cannes in 1986.[17][18]
Other notable Soviet directors includeSergei Bondarchuk,Sergey Paradzhanov,Larisa Shepitko,Kira Muratova,Marlen Khutsiev,Mikhail Kalatozov,Nikita Mikhalkov,Vladimir Menshov andGleb Panfilov.[19][20]
The Seventh Companion (1967) marked the debut of film directorAleksei German. Due to Soviet censorship, his filmTrial on the Road (1971) was shelved for 15 years. His sonAleksei is also a director.[21]
Sergei Bondarchuk initially came to prominence as an actor. His directorial debut wasFate of a Man which was released in 1959. Bondarchuk is best known for directing and starring in the Academy Award-winning adaptationWar and Peace (1967). His sonFyodor Bondarchuk is also a film director and producer.
Among other critically acclaimed literary adaptations from the 1960s wasGrigory Kozintsev'sHamlet (1964), winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.[22]
Russian actorNikita Mikhalkov had his feature directorial debut in 1974 withAt Home Among Strangers. His brother,Andrey Konchalovsky, is also an award-winning director.[23] Konchalovsky had his directorial debut withThe First Teacher in 1965, which won an award at the Venice Film Festival (Best Actress –Natalya Arinbasarova).
Film directorKira Muratova faced censorship during the Soviet era and only started to receive public recognition and first awards duringPerestroyka. Her filmAmong Grey Stones (1983) was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.[24]
Comedy genre was always the most popular one in Russia and the Soviet union with the highest number of box-office successes. Most popular Soviet comedies of the era were directed byLeonid Gaidai,Eldar Ryazanov andGeorgiy Daneliya, such asCarnival Night (1956),The Irony of Fate (1976),Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967),Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures (1965),The Twelve Chairs (1976),Walking the Streets of Moscow (1964),Gentlemen of Fortune (1971).[25][26]
Soviet filmmakers also produced historical adventure films, such asD'Artagnan and Three Musketeers (1978) andGardes-Marines, Ahead! (1988). Among those, "osterns", the Soviet take onthe westerns, became also popular. Examples of the Ostern includeWhite Sun of the Desert (1970),The Headless Horseman (1972),Armed and Dangerous (1977),A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines (1987). On TV, mystery and spy miniseries were prevalent, such asSeventeen Moments of Spring,The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed,Investigation Held by ZnaToKi anda faithful adaptation of Sherlock Holmes stories starring Vasily Livanov as Holmes.
A respective amount of World War II dramas made in the 1970s and the 1980s were acclaimed internationally, some of which areLiberation (1971) byYuri Ozerov,The Dawns Here Are Quiet (1972) byStanislav Rostotsky,They Fought for Their Country (1975) bySergei Bondarchuk,The Ascent (1977) byLarisa Shepitko andCome and See (1985) byElem Klimov.
Co-production between Soviet Union and Japan,Dersu Uzala, adapted fromVladimir Arsenyev's book, directed byAkira Kurosawa and starringMaxim Munzuk andYuri Solomin, won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Picture in 1976. The film was a box-office success and ended up reviving Kurosawa's career.
Yuri Norstein is perhaps the most famous Russian animator of the Soviet period; his animated shortsHedgehog in the Fog andTale of Tales gained worldwide recognition and have served as inspiration for many filmmakers.[7]
Larisa Shepitko's filmThe Ascent was the first Soviet movie to win the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1977.[19]
Romantic dramaMoscow Does Not Believe in Tears byVladimir Menshov won the Best Foreign Picture award at the 1981 Academy Awards and it was very popular at the Soviet box-office with over 93 million viewers.[27][28]
Come and See byElem Klimov received theFIPRESCI prize at the 1985 Moscow Film Festival.
Science fiction filmDead Man's Letters (1986), directorial debut ofKonstantin Lopushansky, was screened at the International Critics' Week section of the Cannes Film Festival in 1987[29]and received theFIPRESCI prize at the 35thInternational Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg.[30] His follow-up filmA Visitor to a Museum (1989) was entered into the Moscow Film Festival where it won the Silver St. George and the Prix of Ecumenical Jury.[31]
In the 1980s Russian directorAndrei Konchalovsky was the first filmmaker to find success in Hollywood. In America he directedMaria's Lovers (1984),Runaway Train (1985) andTango & Cash (1989).
With the onset ofPerestroika andGlasnost in the mid-1980s, Soviet films emerged which began to address formerly censored topics, such as drug addiction,The Needle (1988) byRashid Nugmanov, which starred rock singerViktor Tsoi, and sexuality and alienation in Soviet society,Little Vera (1988) byVasili Pichul. However, the industry suffered from drastically reduced state subsidies and the state-controlled film distribution system also collapsed, leading to the dominance of western films in Russia's theatres.[8]
Several Soviet films have receivedOscars;War and Peace,Dersu Uzala,Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears.
.JPG)
In the 1990s there were much fewer films being made as the cinema industry was experiencing big changes and the economy was uncertain. From 300 in 1990 the number fell to 213 in 1991, 172 in 1992, 152 in 1993, to 68 in 1994, 46 in 1995 and 28 in 1996.[32]
In 1990 censorship was abolished on an official level: the state could no longer interfere in the production and distribution of films, except in cases of war propaganda, disclosure of state secrets, and pornography. As part of the abolition of all central Soviet administrative units, the Cinema Committee of the USSR was dissolved in 1991.[33]
Russian cinema of the 90s acquired new features and themes, with theChechen war also affecting filmmakers. Many films of that time dealt with war and Stalinism.[34]
Kinotavr was first held in 1990 inPodolsk, and then in 1991 inSochi, where it has been held ever since. TheNika Award, which is distributed by the Russian Film Academy, was founded in 1998.[32]
The Asthenic Syndrome is a 1989drama film directed byKira Muratova. The film was entered into the40th Berlin International Film Festival where it won theSilver Bear – Special Jury Prize.[35]
Freeze Die Come to Life is 1989drama film directed byVitali Kanevsky. It was screened in theUn Certain Regard section at the1990 Cannes Film Festival, where it won theCaméra d'Or.[36] Another Kanevsky's film,An Independent Life, win theJury Prize, the third most prestigious award of the event, at the1992 Cannes Film Festival[citation needed] and also nominated for theGolden Bear at the42nd Berlin International Film Festival.[37]
In 1990Pavel Lungin won theBest Director Award forTaxi Blues, which starred rock musicianPyotr Mamonov in the lead role, at the1990 Cannes Film Festival.[38] Subsequent Lungin films,Luna Park andThe Wedding, were screened at1992 Cannes Film Festival and2000 Cannes Film Festival in competition.Tsar was screened at2009 Cannes Film Festival inUn Certain Regard section.[39][40][41]
The Guard is a 1990drama film directed byAleksandr Rogozhkin. It was entered into the40th Berlin International Film Festival where it won theAlfred Bauer Prize.[42]
Satan is a 1991thriller film directed byViktor Aristov. It was entered into the41st Berlin International Film Festival where it won theSilver Bear – Special Jury Prize.[43]
The Assassin of the Tsar byKaren Shakhnazarov andAnna Karamazoff byRustam Khamdamov was entered into the1991 Cannes Film Festival.[44][45]Comrade Chkalov Crosses the North Pole byMaksim Pezhemsky was screened in theUn Certain Regard section at the same year.[46]
Nikita Mikhalkov won theGolden Lion at the48th Venice International Film Festival forClose to Eden[47] andEuropean Film Award for Best Film in 1991 and was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Foreign Film[48] and aGolden Globe forBest Foreign Language Film.
The Inner Circle is a 1991drama film by Russian directorAndrei Konchalovsky, telling the story ofJoseph Stalin's privateprojectionist andKGB officerIvan Sanchin (real name Alex Ganchin) between 1939 and 1953, the year Stalin died was nominated for awards at the42nd Berlin International Film Festival[49]
The Chekist directed byAleksandr Rogozhkin was a drama set in the period ofRed Terror and told the story of aCheka leader who gradually becomes unhinged.Happy Days directed byAleksei Balabanov was his feature film debut. Both film were screened in theUn Certain Regard section at the1992 Cannes Film Festival.[50][51]
The Sentimental Policeman is a 1992 Russian-language Ukrainian (Ukrainian-French production)comedy film written and directed byKira Muratova. It entered the competition at the49th Venice International Film Festival[52][53] and won the Special Jury Prize atKinotavr.
Bakhtyar Khudojnazarov won aSilver Lion at the50th Venice International Film Festival for his filmKosh ba kosh.[54]
The dramaBurnt by the Sun (1994) byNikita Mikhalkov is set in a small countryside community in the time when Stalinism starts to disrupt their idyllic retreat and alter their characters and fates. The film received anAcademy Award forBest Foreign Language Film and theGrand Prix du Jury at the1994 Cannes Film Festival.[55] The sequel,Burnt by the Sun 2: Exodus was entered in the2010 Cannes Film Festival.[56] Another sequel,Burnt by the Sun 3: The Citadel, released on May 5, 2011.
Assia and the Hen with the Golden Eggs byAndrei Konchalovsky is a satirical sequel to Konchalovsky's 1966 Soviet film,The Story of Asya Klyachina, taking the characters of the original and placing them in a post-Soviet context. This film was entered into the1994 Cannes Film Festival.[57]
Passions is a 1994romantic comedy by Ukrainian directorKira Muratova based on the novellas of Boris Dedyukhin.[58][59]It was screened at theLocarno Festival in 1994.[60]It received twoNika Awards, for Best Picture and Best Director (Muratova).[61] The picture also won the Special Jury Prize of theKinotavr film festival.[62]
The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin directed byJiří Menzel,international co-production between Russia, Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, was entered the competition at the51st Venice International Film Festival, in which it won the President of the Italian Senate's Gold Medal.[63]
A Moslem is a 1995 Russiandrama film directed byVladimir Khotinenko[64] won Special Grand Prix of the jury for "Best film of the year" at 1995Montreal World Film Festival.
Peculiarities of the National Hunt directed byAleksandr Rogozhkin was screened in Window on Images sectiom at the52nd Venice International Film Festival and nominated on Crystal Globe at theKarlovy Vary International Film Festival.
In 1996Sergey Bodrov was screened the war drama filmPrisoner of the Mountains based on the 1872Caucasian War-era short story "The Prisoner in the Caucasus" by the classic Russian writerLeo Tolstoy[65] on 1996Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and won aCrystal Globe. Latef film was nominated for anAcademy Award forBest Foreign Language Film (Russia)[66] and aGolden Globe Award forBest Foreign Language Film (Russia).
Three Stories is a 1997 Russian-Ukrainiancomedy film directed byKira Muratova.[67][68] It was entered into the47th Berlin International Film Festival. The picture won the Special Jury Prize atKinotavr.[69]
In the context of the Russian World War II historyPavel Chukhrai filmedThe Thief (1997), a movie about a mother who becomes romantically involved with a criminal who impersonates an officer. The film was awarded with 6 national prizesNika, got a special prize in54th Venice International Film Festival and was nominated onEuropean Film Award for Best Film,Academy Award forBest Foreign Language Film andGolden Globe Award forBest Foreign Language Film.[70]
One of the first commercially successful post-Soviet films was the crime dramaBrother directed byAleksei Balabanov. It was screened as part of theUn Certain Regard section at the1997 Cannes Film Festival.[71] He also directed the sequelBrother 2 in 2000.
Valery Todorovsky'sThe Country of the Deaf (1998), a comedy film based on the screenplay byRenata Litvinova parodied Russia of the 90s. It described the journey of two female friends caught in the fight of two clans – the deaf and the hearing. It was entered in the48th Berlin International Film Festival.[72]
In 1997Aleksandr Sokurov had his international breakthrough with the arthouse dramaMother and Son, the first part of family relationships dilogy. It won the Special Silver St. George at the20th Moscow International Film Festival in 1997. The second part,Father and Son, Russian drama film that was entered into feature film competition at the2003 Cannes Film Festival.[73]
1998 filmKhrustalyov, My Car! directed byAleksei German described the last days of Stalinist Russia. It was entered in the1998 Cannes Film Festival.[74]
Nikita Mikhalkov's international co-productionThe Barber of Siberia was screened out of competition at the1999 Cannes Film Festival.[75] The film featured English and Russian actors. It was the first post-Soviet big budget feature film; the film cost 35 million dollars.[76]
Moloch, the first part of tetrology of power directed byAlexander Sokurov portraysAdolf Hitler living life in an unassuming manner during an abrupt journey to theBavarian Alps, was entered into the1999 Cannes Film Festival and won theBest Screenplay Award.[77] The second part portrayingVladimir Lenin,Taurus, was entered into the2001 Cannes Film Festival.[78] The third partThe Sun depictingJapanese Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) during thefinal days ofWorld War II, was entered in the55th Berlin International Film Festival.
Internationally co-produced filmEast/West (1999) starringSandrine Bonnaire andCatherine Deneuve told the story of an emigre family living in Stalinist USSR. The film was nominated asAcademy Award forBest Foreign Language Film andGolden Globe Award forBest Foreign Language Film,National Board of Review, and received four nominations at theCésar Awards.
The satiric melodrama ofDmitry Meskhiev,Women's Property (1999) describes a love affair between a young student and an older actress who is incurably ill. Her death leads the protagonist to face bitter loneliness. The film starredYelena Safonova and featured actorKonstantin Khabensky in an early lead role.
Cult crime comedy8 ½ $ (1999), directorial debut of Grigori Konstantinopolsky, starringIvan Okhlobystin andFyodor Bondarchuk was a satiric take on 1990s Russia. It told the story of atelevision advertisement director who becomes romantically involved with a gangster's girlfriend.[79]
Svetlana Baskova directed the low-budget independently madeexploitation shock-horror filmThe Green Elephant in 1999.[79] Baskova noted that the film was conceived as a protest against the Chechen war.[80] In 2022 the film has been banned in Russia.[81]
.jpg)
The filmHis Wife's Diary (2000) byAleksei Uchitel won awards at bothKinotavr andNika Award. The biographical film was about the last love affair of writerIvan Bunin. Uchitel's 2005 filmDreaming of Space won the Golden George at the27th Moscow International Film Festival.[82]
Roman Kachanov directed the absurdist comediesDemobbed (2000) andDown House (2001), which were both co-written with actorIvan Okhlobystin who also starred in the films. Both are considered to be cult films in Russia.[79]FIPRESCI awarded a special mention to the filmDemobbed at the 2000Kinotavr.[83]
The Romanovs: An Imperial Family is a 2000 Russianhistorical drama film about the last days ofTsar Nicholas II and his family. The film premiered at the 22nd annualMoscow Film Festival.
Karen Shakhnazarov's 2001 filmPoisons or the World History of Poisoning was awarded the Grand Prix at theKinotavr film festival inSochi.[84] At theKarlovy Vary International Film Festival the picture was nominated for the Crystal Globe[85] and was screened at the51st Berlin International Film Festival.[86][87] Another Shakhnazarov films,Vanished Empire andWard Number 6, released in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
The Cuckoo byAleksandr Rogozhkin won multiple awards at the24th Moscow International Film Festival. The WWII set film starred Finnish actorVille Haapasalo as a stranded Finnish sniper.[88]
House of Fools is a 2002 Russian film byAndrei Konchalovsky aboutpsychiatric patients and combatants during theFirst Chechen War. The film was screened in the competition at the59th Venice International Film Festival and wonGrand Special Jury Prize andUNICEF Award.
Egor Konchalovsky directedAntikiller (2002) starringGosha Kutsenko as a police officer turned vigilante proved to be a success among Russian audiences.[79]
In 2002Pavel Lungin directed the filmTycoon about a Russian oligarch.Vladimir Mashkov played theBoris Berezovsky inspired lead character.
Chekhov's Motifs is a 2002 Russian-Ukrainiancomedy film directed byKira Muratova. It was entered into the24th Moscow International Film Festival.[88]
2002 comedy-drama filmIn Motion was the directorial debut ofFilipp Yankovsky.
Feature film debut byAleksei German Jr.The Last Train (2003) won the Best Picture and International Film Critics' Awards at Thessaloniki and honorable mention for Little Golden Lion award at the60th Venice International Film Festival .[89] His second film,Garpastum, was screened in the competition at the62nd Venice International Film Festival.[90] For his filmPaper Soldier, Aleksei German Jr. received theSilver Lion andGolden Osella for Best Cinematography from the65th Venice International Film Festival.[91]
Andrey Zvyagintsev'sThe Return (2003), aGolden Lion award from the60th Venice International Film Festival recipient andGolden Globe Best Foreign Language Film andCésar Award for Best Foreign Film nominie, shows two brothers' test of life when their father suddenly returns that reaches a deep almost-mystic pitch.Russian Ark (2003) byAlexander Sokurov, was filmed in a single 96-minute shot in the RussianHermitage Museum is a dream-like narration that tells about classic Russian culture sailing in the Ark. It was screened at the2002 Cannes Film Festival.[92]
The Tuner is a 2004Ukraine/Russia mix film of art house grotesque and a sting comedy. At the heart ofKira Muratova’s film is her characteristic and enduring love of predation—predation for its own sake. The film offers a complex assessment of the human subject, civilization, and the creative act. It premiered out of competition at the61st Venice International Film Festival
Night Watch (2004) byTimur Bekmambetov was one of the firstblockbusters made after the collapse of the Soviet film industry. The supernatural thriller starredKonstantin Khabensky and was based on theeponymous book bySergei Lukyanenko. It was followed by the sequelDay Watch (2006), that nominated onSaturn Award for Best International Film.
Russian actressRenata Litvinova debuted as director in 2004 with the filmGoddess: How I fell in Love.
The Italian is a 2005 Russiandrama film directed byAndrei Kravchuk inspired by a true story, focuses on a young boy's determined search for his Mother. The film won the Grand Prix of the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk from the International Jury at the55th Berlin International Film Festival, and a Special Mention from their Children's Jury.[93]
First on the Moon byAleksei Fedorchenko is a 2005 Russianmockumentaryscience fiction film about a fictional 1930s Soviet landing on theMoon and was directorial debut of Fedorchenko. It was screened at62nd Venice International Film Festival in Horrizons section and won Best Film Award.
The 9th Company is a 2005 Russianwar film directed byFedor Bondarchuk and set during theSoviet–Afghan War. The film is loosely based on a real-life battle that took place atElevation 3234 in early 1988, duringOperation Magistral, the last large-scaleSoviet military operation in Afghanistan.
The serialised novels byBoris Akunin set inpre-Revolutionary Russia evolve around fictional Erast Fandorin adventures in three popular movies:The Azazel (2002) byAleksandr Adabashyan,The Turkish Gambit (2005) byDzhanik Fayziev andThe State Counsellor (2005) byFilipp Yankovsky.
The film977 byNikolay Khomeriki was screened in theUn Certain Regard section at the2006 Cannes Film Festival.[94] Three years later his filmTale in the Darkness competed in the same section at the2009 Cannes Film Festival.[95]
Euphoria is a 2006 Russiandramaromance film directed by dramatist and directorIvan Vyrypaev. The film was nominated onGolden Lion at63rd Venice International Film Festival and won Little Golden Lion.
Life of the Orthodox Monastery and their Christian miracles are described in the filmThe Island (2006) byPavel Lungin. The film was screened out of the competition at the63rd Venice International Film Festival and received theGolden Eagle andNika awards.
Konstantin Lopushansky directed the science-fiction filmThe Ugly Swans in 2006, based on the 1967novel byArkady and Boris Strugatsky. The film received the Best Score award atKinotavr.[96]
Psychological dramaThe Banishment byAndrey Zvyagintsev and war dramaAlexandra byAlexander Sokurov was selected in competition section at the2007 Cannes Film Festival whereThe Banishment won theBest Actor Award.[97]
12 is a Russian-language remake of12 Angry Men directed byNikita Mikhalkov, was screened in the competition at the64th Venice International Film Festival there won the Special Lion for Mikhalkov and received anAcademy Award nomination forBest Foreign Language Film.[98] Kazakh-Russian co-production epic filmMongol directed bySergey Bodrov also received anAcademy Award nomination forBest Foreign Language Film.[99]
Cargo 200 is a Russianneo-noirthriller directed byAleksei Balabanov won Best Director Award onGijón International Film Festival.
One of Russia's all-time biggest box-office hits wasTimur Bekmambetov's romantic-comedyThe Irony of Fate 2, directed in 2007 as a sequel tothe 1976 film. 2008 musical filmHipsters, directed by Valery Todorovsky about the youth lifestyle in the 1950s Soviet Union was a success at the box office. It received theGolden Eagle andNika awards for best picture.
Valeriya Gai Germanika received the "Special Mention" of the jury of the Camera d'Or competition at the2008 Cannes Film Festival for her feature debutEverybody Dies but Me.[100][79]
At the2008 Sundance Film FestivalAnna Melikian won the award for best Dramatic Directing for her filmMermaid.[101]
In 2008 was releasedAdmiral,biopic aboutAlexander Kolchak, avice admiral in theImperial Russian Navy and leader of theanti-communistWhite movement during theRussian Civil War directed byAndrei Kravchuk. Later Kravchuk directed two another films based on the historic events:Viking andUnion of Salvation, released in 2016 and 2019 respectively.
Sci-fi pictureDark Planet (2008–2009) based on the book byArkady and Boris Strugatsky, directed byFyodor Bondarchuk, was one of the most expensive Russian films of the 2000s, with its budget of $36.6 million.
Room and a Half is a 2009 Russian biographical film directed byAndrei Khrzhanovsky about life of Russian poetJoseph Brodsky. This film received the Best Film award in the East of the West section at theKarlovy Vary International Film Festival.[102]
In 2009Tambourine, Drum by Aleksey Mizgirev wonSpecial Jury Prize,Best Direction Prize and the special prize from the youth jury at 2009Locarno Film Festival.
In 2014 censorship of cinematic works was officially introduced with a new and stricter revision of the "screening certificate" (Russian:прокатное удостоверение,romanized: prokatnoye udostovereniye) act, without which public film screenings are not allowed and are punishable by law. Curse words in films were banned.[103][104] The concept of a "screening certificate" first appeared in Russian laws in 1993, whenViktor Chernomyrdin signed the decree "On the registration of films and videos", the main purpose of which was to combat the spread of pirated content. For a decade and a half, the document was more or less a formality.[105]
In 2010 the comedy anthology filmYolki produced byTimur Bekmambetov was released. It spawned seven sequels, one prequel and one spin-off.How I Ended This Summer byAlexei Popogrebski, a film shot in remoteChukotka, wonSilver Bear for Best Actor in60th Berlin International Film Festival.[106] The same year arthouse filmSilent Souls byAleksey Fedorchenko won theGolden Osella for Best Cinematography and aFIPRESCI Award at the67th Venice Film Festival.[107]
In 2010Jolly Fellows directed by Felix Mikhailov was screened at the60th Berlin International Film Festival,[108] and also was the first Russian picture to be chosen as the opening film of the Panorama section at the festival.[109]
Fortress of War is a 2010 Russian-Belarusian war film directed byAlexander Kott recounting the June 1941defense of Brest Fortress against invadingWehrmacht forces in the opening stages ofOperation Barbarossa,Nazi Germany's invasion of theSoviet Union duringWorld War II. The film received universal acclaim from Russian critics and auditory.
The Edge byAlexei Uchitel was nominated for the 2010Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Yury Bykov debuted as a director with the filmTo Live in 2010. His filmThe Major screened at the2013 Cannes Film Festival.[110] His filmThe Fool won theBest Actor Award at the 2014Locarno Film Festival.[111] His filmThe Factory screened at the2018 Toronto International Film Festival.[112]
Drama filmsElena byAndrey Zvyagintsev andThe Hunter by Baku Bakuradze was selected in theUn Certain Regard section at the2011 Cannes Film Festival,[113] whereElena won the Special Jury Prize.[114]
Faust, the last part of tetralogy byAleksandr Sokurov, won theGolden Lion at the68th Venice International Film Festival .[115] His follow-up filmFrancofonia received the Mimmo Rotella Award at the72nd Venice International Film Festival .[116]
2011 romantic comedyLucky Trouble directed byLevan Gabriadze and produced byTimur Bekmambetov, starred Hollywood actressMilla Jovovich who played the female lead oppositeKonstantin Khabensky.
Generation P (2011) byVictor Ginzburg was an independently produced satiric comedy about advertisement business set in the 1990s. The film was based onVictor Pelevin's 1999novel of the same name. The film won Special Jury Mention at the 2011Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Betrayal byKirill Serebrennikov was selected in competition on69th Venice International Film Festival.[117]
White Tiger is a 2012 Russianwar film, directed byKaren Shakhnazarov and co-written withAleksandr Borodyansky based on the novelTankist, ili "Belyy tigr" (The Tankman, orThe White Tiger) by Russian novelist Ilya Boyashov. The film is about a badly wounded Soviet tank commander on theEastern Front ofWorld War II who becomes obsessed with tracking down and destroying a mysterious, invincible Nazi tank, which the Soviet troops call the "White Tiger". The Soviets design a new, more powerfulT-34 tank and assign the tank commander the job of destroying the White Tiger.
Aleksey Adrianov directed the high-budgetBoris Akunin adaptationSpy in 2012.
A Russian filmmaker who continued to make a name for himself inHollywood wasTimur Bekmambetov, a producer and director ofblockbuster films. In the United States he directedWanted (2008),Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) andBen-Hur (2016).
Starting from 2003 Russia's animation industry began to manufacture films which are profitable domestically and abroad. Some of the pictures includedVoronezh Animation Studio projects:The Snow Queen 1,2,3,4,Sheep and Wolves 1,2,Secret Magic Control Agency;Melnitsa Animation Studio projects:Little Longnose,The Three Bogatyrs series (includingDobrynya Nikitich and Zmey Gorynych andHorse Julius and Big Horse Racing),Luntik,The Tale of Soldier Fedot, The Daring Fellow,Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf 1,2,3,Fantastic Journey to OZ; projects of other studios:Prince Vladimir,Kikoriki,Space Dogs andSpace Dogs: Return to Earth,Masha and the Bear,A Warrior's Tail,Hoffmaniada.
War epicStalingrad directed byFyodor Bondarchuk in 2013 set new box-office records in Russia and abroad. AfterStalingrad's success at the box-office, increasingly more films started to be made in Russia about WWII. Other WWII films that were made in Russia includedThe Dawns Here Are Quiet (2015),Battle for Sevastopol (2015)Panfilov's 28 Men (2016),Sobibor (2018),Tankers (2018),T-34 (2019),Saving Leningrad (2019),The Last Frontier (2020),AK-47 (2020),A Siege Diary (2020),V2. Escape from Hell (2021),The Pilot. A Battle for Survival (2021),The Red Ghost (2021) andFirst Oscar (2022).
2013 comedyKiss Them All! byZhora Kryzhovnikov, produced byTimur Bekmambetov, is the most profitable domestic film in the history of Russian box office, having managed to earn more than 27.3 million dollars on a comparatively modest budget of $1.5 million.[118][119] The film was followed byKiss Them All! 2, which became the most profitable film of 2014 in Russia.[120]
Hard to Be a God is a 2013 Russianepicmedievalscience fiction film[121] directed byAleksei German who co-wrote the screenplay with Svetlana Karmalita. It was his last film and it is based on the 1964 novelof the same name byArkady and Boris Strugatsky.
Chagall — Malevich is a 2014 Russianbiographicaldrama film directed byAlexander Mitta about theVitebsk period in the life of the artistMarc Chagall and his relationship with fellow artistKazimir Malevich. It also showed at the 2014Busan International Film Festival.[122]
Film byAlexander Veledinsky,The Geographer Drank His Globe Away, based on the novel of the same name byAlexei Ivanov, was awarded the main prize atKinotavr 2013.[79]
In 2014,Andrey Zvyagintsev'sLeviathan was entered in the2014 Cannes Film Festival, where it wonBest Screenplay Award[123] and was nominated on fourEuropean Film Awards, including Best Film,BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language andAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the87th Academy Awards. It won theGolden Globe forBest Foreign Language Film.[124] After the film got leaked online and was downloaded by 1.5 million users, domestic distributors decided to make a wide release of the controversial film which was negatively viewed by the Russian authorities due to its gloomy and critical view of Russia.[125]
Sunstroke is a 2014 Russiandrama film directed, produced and written byNikita Mikhalkov, starring Martinsh Kalita and Viktoriya Solovyova. It is set after the collapse of theRussian Empire during theRed Terror in 1920, with flashbacks to 1907, and is loosely based on the story "Sunstroke" and the bookCursed Days byNobel Prize-winningRussian writerIvan Bunin.
Two Women is a 2014 Russian drama film directed byVera Glagoleva, starringRalph Fiennes andSylvie Testud. It is based onIvan Turgenev's 1872 playA Month in the Country (originally written asTwo Women in 1855). The film won the Best Feature Film award at the3rd Hanoi International Film Festival.
Under the Sun is a 2015 Russiandocumentary film directed byVitaly Mansky won Best Director Award at theTallinn Black Nights Film Festival. The film follows a year in the life of a family inPyongyang, North Korea as their daughter Zin-mi prepares to join theKorean Children's Union on theDay of the Shining Star (Kim Jong-il's birthday).[126][127][128][129][130] North Korea permitted only Mansky, cinematographer Alexandra Ivanova, and a sound assistant to visit the country. North Korean authorities objected to the film's screening after discovering that the film crew had smuggled unapproved footage.
Under Electric Clouds byAleksei German won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for Cinematography at the65th Berlin International Film Festival.[131] His follow-up filmDovlatov (2018) about writerSergei Dovlatov, was awarded a Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for costume and production design68th Berlin International Film Festival .[132]
Battalion is a 2015 Russian war film directed byDmitry Meskhiev that relates the story of theFirst Battalion of Death, a women-only Russian combat unit that fought in the First World War. ActressMariya Aronova plays the role of real-life heroineMaria Bochkareva.Battalion was the biggest winner at the 2015Golden Eagle Awards, winning four awards out of nine nominations.
In 2015Ilya Naishuller debuted with the filmHardcore Henry which was screened at the Toronto Film Festival. He later directedNobody (2021) in Hollywood.
Andrei Konchalovsky received theSilver Lion at the73rd Venice International Film Festival for hisblack and whiteHolocaust dramaParadise in 2016. He previously received theSilver Lion forThe Postman's White Nights at the71st Venice International Film Festival.
2016 one-man thriller filmCollector by Aleksei Krasovsky starring Konstantin Khabensky won an award at theKarlovy Vary International Film Festival.[133]
In 2016The Duelist directed by Aleksey Mizgirev was screened at the2016 Toronto International Film Festival.[134]
Disaster filmFlight Crew, directed byNikolai Lebedev with actorDanila Kozlovsky was a success at the box-office in 2016.
The Student byKirill Serebrennikov won theFrançois Chalais Prize at the2016 Cannes Film Festival .[135]Leto, Russianmusical film also directed byKirill Serebrennikov that depicts the Leningrad underground rock scene of the early 1980s, was selected to compete for thePalme d'Or at the2018 Cannes Film Festival, where it won theCannes Soundtrack Award.[136][137]
2016 filmZoology byIvan I. Tverdovsky won the Special Jury Award at theKarlovy Vary International Film Festival.[138]
In 2017,Andrey Zvyagintsev'sLoveless was entered in the2017 Cannes Film Festival, where it wonJury Prize[139] and nominated onBAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language,[140]Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film andAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the90th Academy Awards,[141] and five nominations,including Best Film, and won twoEuropean Film Awards, includingBest Cinematographer for Krichman,[142] as well as theCésar Award for Best Foreign Film.[143]
2017science fictionaction film Attraction directed and produced byFyodor Bondarchuk became a box office hit, grossing more than 1 billion rubles[144] and becoming the highest-grossingRussian sci-fi movie. Asequel,Invasion, premiered on New Year's Day 2020, grossed less than predecessor.[145]
The 2017 sports dramaGoing Vertical by Anton Megerdichev is the highest grossing domestic film of the 2010s.[146] It also became the highest-grossing Russian film in China, where it grossed CN¥85 million ($12.3 million) which brought the film's worldwide gross to $66.3 million.[147]
Walt Disney produced Slavic fantasy filmLast Knight directed byDmitry Dyachenko was a success at the box-office in 2017, earning $30 million.[148] The film was followed by two sequels in 2021;The Last Warrior: Root of Evil andThe Last Warrior: A Messenger of Darkness.
Arrhythmia by directorBoris Khlebnikov received theBest Actor Award at the 2017Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Matilda byAleksei Uchitel about the relationship between ballerinaMatilda Kshesinskaya andNicholas II caused controversy amongst monarchist and Orthodox authorities and public in 2017.
Maryus Vaysberg is a film director mainly working in the comedy genre. He is one of the most commercially successful directors of Russia. His 2017 filmNaughty Grandma was a box office success and the most successful Russian film in 2017.[149] Many of his films starred future president of UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyy.
Anna's War byAleksey Fedorchenko premiered at theRotterdam Film Festival in 2018.[150] The film won theGolden Eagle Award in the Best Film category. Fedorchenko won the award for Best Director.[151]
Jumpman is a 2018drama film directed and written byIvan I. Tverdovskiy won the Special Jury Mention at theKarlovy Vary International Film Festival.[152][153][154][155]
In 2018The Man Who Surprised Everyone directed by Aleksey Chupov andNatasha Merkulova won Best Actress Award the Horizons (Orizzonti) section of the75th Venice International Film Festival.[156][157]
Ice is a 2018 Russianmusicalromantic dramasports film directed by Oleg Trofim and produced byFyodor Bondarchuk, is the most profitable domestic film in 2018 and one of the most profitable domestic film in the history of Russian box office, having managed to earn more than 26.4 million dollars on a comparatively modest budget of $2 million.[158] A sequel,Ice 2, directed byZhora Kryzhovnikov, like its predecessor, became a blockbuster, grossed 193.7 millionrubles on opening day, making it the highest-grossing Russian film on opening Day and grossed over 1.4 billionrubles in total and was nominated onGolden Rooster Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
In 2019Acid, directed byAlexander Gorchilin was screened in Panorama section at the69th Berlin International Film Festival.[159]
Drama filmBeanpole byKantemir Balagov anddrama filmOnce in Trubchevsk by Larissa Sadilova selected in theUn Certain Regard section at the2019 Cannes Film Festival[160] whereBeanpole won the Best Director Award andFIPRESCI Prize.[161][162] The previous Balagov's filmCloseness also selected to compete in theUn Certain Regard section at the2017 Cannes Film Festival[163][164] and won theFIPRESCI Prize.[165]
Sin is a Russian-Italian biographical drama film about the life of the famous sculptor and painter of the Renaissance,Michelangelo Buonarroti of Florence, in the early 16th century, written and directed byAndrei Konchalovsky, released in October 2019.[166][167][168]
Why Don't You Just Die! is a 2018 Russiandark comedythriller film directed by Kirill Sokolov and starringAleksandr Kuznetsov, Vitaly Khaev, Yevgenia Kregzhde andYelena Shevchenko.
2019 comedy filmSerf directed byKlim Shipenko and starringMiloš Biković set new domestic box-office records. It grossed $42.4 million against a budget of $2.6 million.[169][170] The same year Shipenko directed the psychological thrillerText starringAlexander Petrov, which was also a success at the box-office and received aNika and multipleGolden Eagle awards.[171]
In the following years many Russian films have gotten wide releases in China,[172][173] and there has been an increased number of planned Russo-Chinese co-productions.[174] A few of the films produced by Russia and China areViy,Viy 2: Journey to China starringJackie Chan andArnold Schwarzenegger,[175]The Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice[176] andQuackerz.[177]
Dau, the first film of the controversialDAU project by directorIlya Khrzhanovsky, which was initially conceived as a biopic of Soviet scientistLev Landau, premiered in 2019 in Paris.DAU. Natasha andDAU.Degeneration premiered at the70th Berlin International Film Festival there first won the Silver Bear for an Outstanding Artistic Contribution for Cinematography.[178] The rest of the films were released on VOD through the official DAU website in 2020.[179]
War dramaPersian Lessons byVadim Perelman premiered at the70th Berlin International Film Festival .[180]
In 2020Conference directed byIvan Tverdovskiy andThe Whaler Boy directed byPhilipp Yuryev was screened at theGiornate degli Autori section at the77th Venice International Film Festival, where last won Best Film Award of this section.[181]
At the77th Venice International Film Festival,Dear Comrades! directed byAndrei Konchalovsky telling the story of theNovocherkassk massacre, won theSpecial Jury Prize.[182] The film also received a nomination forBAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.
Sputnik is a 2020 Russianscience-fictionhorror film directed by Egor Abramenko in his featuredirectorial debut.[183] It starsOksana Akinshina as a young doctor who is recruited by the Soviet military to assess acosmonaut who survived a mysterious space accident and returned to Earth with a dangerous organism living inside him.[183] Alongside Akinshina, the film's cast includesPyotr Fyodorov andFyodor Bondarchuk. The film was nominated onSaturn Award for Best International Film.[184]
Historic romance filmThe Silver Skates, byMichael Lockshin in his directorial debut, was chosen as the opening film of the 42ndMoscow International Film Festival, where it premiered on October 1, 2020. The rights to the film were acquired byNetflix on June 16, 2021.The Silver Skates is the first Russian film to be released on the platform in the Netflix Originals category.[185][186][187]
Yakut language dramaScarecrow by Dmitry Davydov won the main prize at the 2020Kinotavr film festival . Yakut films, also nicknamed "Sakhawood", have been steadily gaining popularity in Russia.[188][189]
Comedy dramaHouse Arrest byAleksey German Jr. andOssetian language dramaUnclenching the Fists byKira Kovalenko was selected to compete in theUn Certain Regard section at the2021 Cannes Film Festival[190] thereUnclenching the Fists wonUn Certain Regard Award.[191]
The Last Darling Bulgaria byAleksey Fedorchenko premiered at the 2021Moscow International Film Festival.[192]
Historical war drama filmIvan Denisovich by veteran directorGleb Panfilov premiered at the2021 Locarno Film Festival . The film based onthe novel byAleksandr Solzhenitsyn starredFilipp Yankovsky in the main role.[193]
In 2021 WWII action filmThe Red Ghost by Andrei Bogatyrev was released in Russian cinemas.
2021 filmGerda about a young striptease dancer by director Natalya Kudryashova premiered at the74th Locarno Film Festival where it received theBest Actress Award and the special prize from the youth jury of the festival.[194]
Natalya Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov's filmCaptain Volkonogov Escaped (2021), set during theGreat Purge, was screened at the78th Venice International Film Festival.[195]Mama, I'm Home directed byVladimir Bitokov was included into the Orizzonti Extra program at the same Festival.[196][197][198]
Surrealistic satirePetrov's Flu byKirill Serebrennikov were screened at the2021 Cannes Film Festival, there wonVulcan Award for cinematography.[199][200] Finnish-Russian co-productionCompartment No. 6 byJuho Kuosmanen was also part of the program and it won theGrand Prix of the festival.
Apocalyptic dramaQuarantine directed byDiana Ringo and starringAnatoliy Beliy, co-produced by Finland and Russia, was an official non-English languageGolden Globes 2022 entry.[201][202]
The Execution is a 2021 Russianmysterythriller film and directorial debut byLado Kvataniya.[203][204] It premiered at the 2021Fantastic Fest[205] and theatrically released in Russia on April 21, 2022.[206]
Tchaikovsky's Wife byKirill Serebrennikov was included in the competition program of2022 Cannes Film Festival.[207]
Convenience Store by Mikhail Borodin, about Uzbeki immigrants working illegally in Moscow, premiered at the72nd Berlin International Film Festival.[208][209]
Fairytale is a 2022experimentaladult animatedfantasy film directed byAlexander Sokurov premiered at the75th Locarno Film Festival.
The Cage is Looking for a Bird directed by Malika Musaeva was screened on Encountes section at the73rd Berlin International Film Festival.
Live-action/animated children's filmCheburashka set the record as the highest-grossing Russian film of all time in 2023. The film grossed $94.5 million at the box-office.
In 2023 the first movie shot in space was released,The Challenge directed byKlim Shipenko, starringYulia Peresild. The film was a box-office success, grossing $21.5 million at the Russian box-office.
In November 2023 the sci-fi film1984 byDiana Ringo was released. It is the first Russian-language adaptation ofGeorge Orwell's novel of the same name. It is dedicated to the writer's 120th birth anniversary.
American filmAnora starring Russian actors won thePalme d'Or at the77th Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
Internationally produced Russian-language dramaTwo Prosecutors directed bySergei Loznitsa, starringAleksandr Kuznetsov andAnatoliy Beliy, premiered at the78th Cannes Film Festival in 2025 in competition.
The2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has impacted Russian cinema.[209] The Russian Association of Theater Owners said that there is a "high probability of the liquidation of the entire film screening industry"; ticket sales in March 2022 were half of what they had been in March 2021.[210] TheAnnecy International Animation Film Festival,[211] Berlinale, Cannes, Venice, and theToronto Film Festival banned official Russian delegations.[209] TheStockholm Film Festival banned all Russian projects funded by the government.[212] TheEuropean Film Awards andEmmys banned Russian films outright.[213][214][215]FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films, translated as the International Federation of Film Producers Associations) paused the accreditation of theMoscow International Film Festival andMessage to Man until further notice.[216]MIPTV in France won't allow "any Russian film and TV outfits" in 2022, and Russia has also been banned from theBanff World Media Festival andNATPE.[217] Several major international film distributors, includingThe Walt Disney Company,Sony Pictures,Paramount, andWarner Bros stopped screening films in Russia; prior to the invasion, movies produced in the United States made up 70% of the Russian film market.[4][210]FIPRESCI announced that it will not participate in festivals and other events organized by the Russian government and its offices, and canceled a colloquium in St. Petersburg, that was to make it familiar with new Russian films.[218]
Ukrainian film directorSergei Loznitsa spoke out against banning Russian films. He said: "Among Russian filmmakers, there are people who have condemned the war, who oppose the regime and openly expressed their condemnation. And in a way they're victims of this whole conflict like the rest of us." And: "We must not judge people based on their passports. We can judge them on their acts."[219][220] Dissident Russian film directorKirill Serebrennikov also spoke out against the boycott.[221][222]
There are around 400 private production companies. They do not have their own facilities for creating films, and therefore must rent out spaces and equipment from their qualified partners. There are 35 film studios (9 of them are governmental) that are the major service for renting space. The studios have 107 shooting pavilions. There are 23 private companies on the Russian market that rent their equipment of all kinds to the production teams.[223]
The list is composed by theCinema Foundation of Russia. It allows companies to get governmental financial support. In 2017 the number of market leaders was increased up to 10 companies.[224]
According toKinopoisk.ru, highest-grossing Russian films, as of August 2023, are the following:List of highest-grossing Russian films
Below are the highest-grossing movies in Russia.
| Rank | Title | Gross in rubles (₽)[225] | Year | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheburashka | 7,045,624,390 ₽ | 2022 | Russia |
| 2 | Avatar | 3,614,808,486 ₽ | 2009 | United States |
| 3 | Spider-Man: No Way Home | 3,513,632,607 ₽ | 2021 | United States |
| 4 | Serf | 3,183,678,613 ₽ | 2019 | Russia |
| 5 | Going Vertical | 3,046,794,737 ₽ | 2017 | Russia |
| 6 | The Lion King (2019) | 2,998,484,841 ₽ | 2019 | United States |
| 7 | Avengers: Endgame | 2,986,847,762 ₽ | 2019 | United States |
| 8 | Venom: Let There Be Carnage | 2,340,555,537 ₽ | 2021 | United States |
| 9 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | 2,325,732,329 ₽ | 2017 | United States |
| 10 | T-34 | 2,317,312,005 ₽ | 2019 | Russia |
| 11 | Zootopia | 2,280,692,859 ₽ | 2016 | United States |
| 12 | The Last Warrior: A Messenger of Darkness | 2,265,659,892 ₽ | 2021 | Russia |
| 13 | Maleficent: Mistress of Evil | 2,181,245,142 ₽ | 2019 | United States |
| 14 | Avengers: Infinity War | 2,162,717,213 ₽ | 2018 | United States |
| 15 | Venom | 2,160,921,836 ₽ | 2018 | United States |
| 16 | The Secret Life of Pets | 2,138,455,552 ₽ | 2016 | United States |
| 17 | The Challenge | 2,057,977,880 ₽ | 2023 | Russia |
| 18 | Joker | 1,953,270,992 ₽ | 2019 | United States |
| 19 | Frozen 2 | 1,891,549,027 ₽ | 2019 | United States |
| 20 | Minions | 1,866,431,191 ₽ | 2015 | United States |
Note: This list does not include earlierSoviet films, which are listed separately on thelist of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union.
There are 600 companies that release films all around Russia that includes 105 chain cinema theatres and 495 independent theatres. Chain companies consist of 29 federal, 19 regional and 57 local theatres. According to Neva Research, as of 1 July 2016 there were 1,227 cinemas with 4,067 screens in Russia. Ten major cinema companies hold 346 theatres with 1,772 screens, which corresponds to 43.6% of the whole amount.[226]
In 2015 all the cinemas were finally digitalized. In the beginning of 2016 Russia has 33 theatres with 4D technology, 80 theatres with premium sound system, 43 theatres with 3D IMAX effect.[223]
However, due to theRussian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, western countries such as the United States have imposed sanctions on Russia. Because of this, no more western films have beenofficially released in Russia since then.
There are many film festivals in Russia.[228] Since 2018, fashion film festivals have been established and held in Russia.[229] Since 2019 every year, theMinistry of Culture of the Russian Federation compiles a stateList of international film festivals held in the territory of the Russia.[230]
Some Russian festivals:
Notable Video on Demand platforms includeOkko,Wink,more.tv,Amediateka,SMOTRIM, MegaFon TV,Start,Kinopoisk HD,Premier,Ivi.ru,KION.[231]
However online content platforms also face censorship in Russia.[232]
Major film industries in the world
| ||
