By M&C News Oct 8, 2006, 13:45 GMT
New York, NY -- The 6th Annual Russian Film Week in New York returns to Manhattan with 12 ground-breaking and provocative Russian films.
The event will run from October 13-19 at Cinema Village with a special opening night gala celebration that includes a ribbon-cutting ceremony by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, champagne reception and film premiere at Florence Gould Hall on Friday October 13 at 6pm.
The festivities will continue at a private post screening party at upscale lounge Nikki Midtown. The carefully selected films were all released in Russia in 2006 to very favorable reviews from critics and audiences.
The week long event is presented by Interfest, organizers of the prestigious Moscow International Film Festival and Globe PR Group, under the support of The Russian Federation Federal Agency for Culture and Cinema.
Executive Producer and CEO of Globe PR Group Mr. Ioori Smirnov commented, "We are honored to be showcasing the best of Russian cinema. The films deserve exposure from journalists and distributors and will definitely entertain our New York audiences. Our goal is to focus on the films and how to strategically position them in the US film market.”
The opening film at Florence Gould Hall (55 East 59th Street) is Transit ((Peregon), a striking World War II drama by acclaimed director Alexander Rogozhkin. The film depicts the life of Russian and American pilots who transport American ‘Air Cobra’ fighter aircrafts through Alaska and Siberia to the frontline.
It is a complex story of Russians, Americans, Aboriginals of the Far North and includes a love story of a Russian officer and an American pilot whose language and cultural barriers lead to amusing, touching, awkward, and sometimes tragic events. Transit was nominated for a Crystal Globe award at the 2006 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Special guests expected include world-famous writer/director Pavel Lungin (The Wedding), Eric Roberts, Galina Jovovich (actress and mother of Milla Jovovich) Former Olympic Gold Medalist Oxana Baiul, and notable Russian actors, Alexey Chadov ('Night Watch), Marat Basharov ('The Wedding'), Dmitry Duzhev, Anna Mikhalkova, Mikhail Porechenkov and Evgenia Simonova. Politicians and Rock Brynner (son of Academy Award (c) winner Yul Brynner ('The King and I') will also be in attendance.
Other films in the line-up include 'Playing the Victim' by Kirill Serebrennikov, 'The 7th Day' by Kakha Kikabidze, 'Alive' by Alexander Veledinsky, 'The Island' by Pavel Lungin and Natalya Lyashchenko, 'Polumgla' by Artyom Antonov, 'Relations' by Avdotya Smirnova, 'The Last Coalface' by Sergei Bobrov, 'The Man of No Return' by Ekaterina Grokhovskaya, 'Piter FM' by Oksana Bychkova, 'Ellipsis' by Andrei Eshpai and a premiere of 'Spy Games 3: The Black Wolf Hunt.'
All screenings will take place at the Cinema Village (E12th Street btw. University and 5th Ave.) Q & A sessions will take place after select screenings.
Post-screening parties hosted by celebrities will be held each night at New York’s hottest clubs and lounges. Film seminars will be held on October 14 - 15. Panelists will speak on important topics such as “How To Secure A Distribution Deal For Your Film" and “The Future of Russian Film.”
Sponsors for Russian Film Week include, Cinderella Travel, Western Union, Direct TV, Alexandra Investment Management, A. Korkunov, RIA Novosti, RTVi, HTB America RU:LIST, Imperia Vodka, Baltika, Nikki Midtown and Anyway Café.
Commenting on Russian Film Week, Cinderella Travel's CEO Natalie Azarov, said "We have always been a supporter of Arts and Cultural events in New York, in particular, annual film festival events. We are delighted to be helping to coordinate the 6th Annual Russian Film Week in New York and are committed to ensuring that it is a great success. It is important to bring the latest Russian films, made by talented directors to our hometown and we look forward to celebrating this event and merging two distinct yet personally familiar cultures together for the enjoyment of viewers."
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