I might complain a lot about Perth being the middle of nowhere and nothing ever happening but we do seem to get a fair go (that's Australian slang, I'm quite proud of that) when it comes to interesting film events. They're not the biggest or the best but there's certainly a lot more than I ever got to experience in Stevenage. Last year there was Italian and Mexican film festivals showing at my local Luna cinema which meant I got to see Bicycle Thieves at the cinema with a bunch of old Italians talking through it. Now I have received the program for the Russian Resurrection Film Festival that is coming to Perth in September.
The full program can be found at russianresurrection.com but here in Perth they are screening 15 films from the new Russian cinema and 4 classics from the Soviet era.
I've been through the program and shortlisted a few films that I might drag Leah and/or others along to:
Dark World AKA Temny Mir
A supernatural fantasy based on Russian folktales. Good vs Evil. That kind of thing.
Elena
Winner of The Special Jury Prize at Cannes, this is the one with the highest pedigree. A family drama orbitting around the looming death of the rich patriarch.
Who Am I? AKA Kto Ya?
A mystery thriller about death and lost memory that leaves you guessing until the very end apparently.
Stoker AKA Kochegar
War hero working as a furnace stoker clashes with Russian mafia after being forced to dispose of corpses.
Brest Fortress AKA Fortress of War AKA Brestskaya Krepost
Wartime drama set during the 1941 Nazi invasion of the USSR.
I'll hopefully get along to most of these if I can fit them in around work. Fingers crossed I will be sharing some reviews of the best new Russian cinema in the next few weeks.
Haha. I just spent ten minutes trying to figure out what the word after KTO YA is on the trailer image. Turns out, even with my vast command of the Cyrillic alphabet, I needed help to read that it was "trailer". I hate cognates.
ReplyDeleteyou can read cyrillic? impressive alan. is kto ya the one you're most interested in?
ReplyDeleteOooooh Missus, that looks like fun!!
ReplyDeleteYou have all the cool stuff down there!! I look forward to reading your thoughts on the films!
scott - its not exactly TIFF or Cannes or Venice or anything good but it is a great opportunity to see something different on a giant screen.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of "Bicycle Thieves" ... there's a classic film that I've yet to see.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy the film festival Toby.
sam - it's certainly one that seems to be getting mentioned a lot recently. do see it, but dont worry, it's not essential to watch it any time soon. it's the kind of film you have to be prepared for or you won't get as much from it.
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