:: Spotlight :: 2007 Russian Resurrection Film Festival

By: Carmine Pascuzzi

Presented by BHP Billiton, 2007 marks the 4th year for the Russian Resurrection Film Festival! The 2007 program will feature ten of the finest new Russian films, including the keenly anticipated Day Watch, sequel to the 2004 smash hit vampire fantasy Night Watch, and the internationally critically acclaimed and multi-award winning drama The Island. From the sword and sorcery fantasy of Wolfhound, the heartbreaking war drama of Franz and Polina, to the modern day Moscow fast set of Heat, and the satirical journey of the Stalinist propaganda troupe in Beat the Enemy, the 2007 Russian Resurrection Film Festival delivers a wonderfully diverse line-up which serves as a resounding testament to the strength of this unique film culture.

2007 will also feature an incredible selection of Russian cinematic treasures, with the inclusion of the Literature Retrospective featuring three classic adaptations of arguably the best-loved Russian novels, War and Peace, (winner of the 1969 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film), Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamazov (nominated for the 1970 Academy Awards for the Best Foreign Language Film) and one of the greatest versions of Shakespeare’s Hamlet made for the big screen (nominated for the 1966 BAFTA for Best Film).

2007 Film Schedule
Day Watch (2006)
Director: Timur Bekmambetov

The Island (2006)
Director: Pavel Lunghin

Wolfhound (2006)
Director: Nikolai Lebedev

Franz and Polina (2006)
Director: Michael Segal

Russian Money (2006)
Director: Igor Maslennikov

Euphoria (2006)
Director: Ivan Vyrypaev

Ellipsis (2006)
Director: Andrei Eshpai

Heat (2006)
Director: Rezo Gigineishvili

Beat the Enemy (2007)
Director: Vitali Melnikov

Relations (2006)
Director: Avdotya Smirnova

2007 Retrospective – Classic Literature in Film
War and Peace, Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov prints will screen at the 2007 Russian Resurrection Film Festival courtesy of the National Film and Sound Archive.

War and Peace (1968)
Director: Sergei Bondarchuk

Crime & Punishment (1969)
Director: Lev Kulidzhanov

Hamlet (1964)
Director: Grigori Kozintsev

Brothers Karamazov (1969)
Director: Kiril Lavrov

Festival Guests

In 2007 the Russian Resurrection Film Festival again welcomes three visiting Directors whose work is featured in the Festival, who will be in attendance to introduce their films and to conduct Q and A sessions with audiences in select locations. This is a unique opportunity to experience first hand the reality of film making in Russia today.

Pavel Lunghin
Director The Island (Brisbane and Melbourne only)

Nikolai Lebedev
Director Wolfhound (Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane only)

Andrei Eshpai
Director Ellipsis (Sydney and Canberra only)

Stolichnaya & Day Watch
Take part in a special event exclusive to the 2007 Russian Resurrection Film Festival, when Stolichnaya Russian Vodka hosts the screening of the highly anticipated vampire thriller Day Watch. Sequel to the 2004 cult classic Night Watch, and part two of the popular contemporary science-fiction trilogy, Day Watch is set to shake-up traditional Festival expectations as the streets of Moscow are invaded by the forces of good and evil in the endless battle for supremacy. Stolichnaya Genuine Russian Vodka shots will be served prior to the screenings in each capital city, to fire up the blood in expectation of the imminent vampire attack!

2007 Festival Venues & Dates
MELBOURNE: Palace Cinema Como: August 30 - September 5
ADELAIDE: Palace Nova Eastland: August 31 - September 2
SYDNEY: Chauvel Cinema: September 6-16
CANBERRA: Greater Union Manuka: September 7-9
BRISBANE: Palace Centro Cinema: September 13-17
PERTH: Cinema Paradiso: September 13-16