Focus Russia

Films at Focus Russia | Focus Russia events

A country with a long cinema and film tradition

Each year, the student film festival sehsuechte devotes itself to a special programme which looks at film-making from a specific region. After the extremely successful emphasis on China last year, in 2006 we turn to the large film nation of Russia. Russian film history is in a state of flux, and with directors such as Eisenstein and Tarkovskij has given us exceptional aesthetic and theoretic impetus.

The Russian film industry was created fairly late in comparison to other film nations, when the first film studio was set up in St. Petersburg in 1907. A decade later, the First World War helped the Russian film industry to grow. Due to the lack of foreign competition, about 500 films were produced in 1916 alone. After the October Revolution in 1917, the Soviet government seized control of the Russian film industry by installing their own state controlled film division. For Lenin, and also Stalin later, film always represented an important instrument of propaganda. Many Soviet film-makers tried out a socialist cinematography in the 1920s. In the years following, montage became their main form of design.
Film production in the 1950s hit an all-time low triggered by paralysing bureaucracy and state control. A less strict censorship and an improvement in conditions came only after the death of Stalin. However, these changes could only partly restore the artistic meaning of Soviet film. In the 1960’s, production in the USSR started to show spirit for reform, and a new generation of film-makers, including Andrej Tarkovskij, embarked on ambitious projects. For a few years now Russian film has been increasingly taken notice of again internationally. Alongside the well-known film l’auteur, commercial and genre cinema are booming most of all, in which the latest digital technology and other new techniques are put to use. One of the sci-fi blockbusters of last year, which can be compared to “Matrix” and was even ahead of “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” within the Russian cinema market, is "Nocnoj Dozor - Night Watchman". The Russian film industry is characterised by a huge dynamic, and a further increase in production is predicted in years to come.

The success of Russian films is a good reason for us to take a closer look at student and amateur film. We are convinced that we can present an exciting Focus programme this year showing Russian animation, documentation, experimental and feature films. "Dvier - The Door" by Vladimir Kott already thrilled us in last year’s competition with its bizarre charms. We’re keen to see what inspires Russian film students and other passionate film-makers from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Jekaterinburg and the Altai region, what kind of stories they have to tell and how they tell them.