SILK ROAD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

3^rd SILK ROAD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Six Classic Special Edition Russian films with Chinese Subtitles

Film Synopses

1.October: Ten Days That Shook the World (1927), directed by S. Eizenstein. From the legendary director of Battleship Potemkin; October is a celebratory film released 10 years after the revolution.  Originally made as October in the Soviet Union, the film was re-edited and released internationally as Ten Days That Shook the World, after John Reed's popular book on the Revolution. This storming of the winter palace scene is amazing because it has become the “go to” historical depiction of the actual event, since there is no real footage.  This use of film as a historical image shows the film’s tremendous success in terms of accuracy and quality of visual images.

2.The Quiet Skywalker (1945), is written and directed by Semen Timoshenko. This romantic story begins when war torn pilots vow not to fall in love until the end of WW2. However, this becomes more difficult than expected when female squadron pilots and journalist Valya Petrova join forces making it difficult for the pilots to concentrate on war.

3.Burnt by the Sun (1994), directed by N. Mikhalkov is a 1994 film by Russian director, actor Nikita Mikhalkov and Azerbaijani screenwriter Rustam Ibragimbekov. The film depicts the story of a senior Red Army officer and his family during the Great Purge of the late 1930s in the Stalinist Soviet Union. The story takes place over the course of one day. Burnt by the Sun won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1995 as well as tied for the Grand Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for the Palme d ‘Or in 1994 as well as a BAFTA Award in 1996 for Best Film not in the English Language, and a Silver Condor in 1996 for Best Foreign Film by the Argentinean Film Critics Association. In 1995, Evgeniy Mironov won the Best Supporting Actor Award, Sozvezdie 1995.

4.White Tiger (2012), Directed by K. Shakhnazarov. During World War II, after a battle is over, a tank operator is found in a destroyed Soviet tank. Miraculously recovering from burns on 90 percent of his body, he suffers amnesia and cannot recall his identity. He receives a new passport in the name Naydenov (from the Russian word for "found"), and is returned to duty. Naydenov believes he has the ability to talk with tanks as if they were people, though he tries not to discuss this. He is also recognized as the greatest tank driver in his army group. In the meantime, rumors arise about a new, invincible Nazi tank that appears seemingly out of nowhere and disappears just as quickly, destroying dozens of Soviet tanks in the process. This mysterious enemy tank is dubbed "White Tiger" by the Soviet forces and it becomes Naydenovs mission to find and destroy this tank.  White tiger is a 2012 Russian action war film directed by Karen Shakhnazarov. White Tiger was selected as the Russian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.

5. Battalion (2014), Directed by D. Meskhiev is a 2015 Russian war film directed by Dmitriy Meshiev that relates the story of the First Battalion of Death, a women-only Russian combat unit that fought in the First World War. Actress Maria Aronova plays the role of real-life heroine Maria Bochkareva. In the Spring of 1917, following the February Revolution, Russian troops fighting in the First World War are heavily demoralized. Military commanders decide to create a battalion of enthusiastic women volunteers, led by Maria Bochkareva. After basic military training, the women are sent to the front. Battalion led the number of nominations at the 2015 Golden Eagle Awards. It lost Best Motion Picture to Anna Melikian's Pro Lyubov, but nevertheless won the following four awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Mariya Kozhevnikova, Best Music Score, Best Editing and Best Sound Editing. Battalion was the biggest winner at the 2015 Golden Eagle Awards, winning four awards out of the nine nominations.

6. Battle for the Sevastopol (2015), is a 2015 biographical film about Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a young Soviet Ukrainian who joined the Red Army to fight the Nazi invasion of the USSR and became one of the deadliest snipers in World War II. The film, a joint Ukrainian-Russian production, was released in both countries on April 2, 2015; its international premiere took place two weeks later at the Beijing International Film Festival. The film is directed by Serhiy Mokrytskyi and stars Yulia Peresild as Pavlichenko. In addition to Beijing, where Peresild was awarded a Best Actress award, the film has also appeared at the Cannes Film Festival. The film, directed by Sergei Mokritsky, was a big hit when it was released in Russia earlier this spring, opening wide on 1,500 screens.

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