Advanced search

A 19th century French aristocrat, notorious for his scathing memoirs about life in Russia, travels through the Russian State Hermitage Museum and encounters historical figures from the last 200+ years.

A historical drama that illustrates Russian author Leo Tolstoy's (Christopher Plummer's) struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things.

Sonia, a girl from St Petersburg, decides to seek a better life in western Europe. She first gets a job at a car dealer in Germany. But she is suddenly kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery. She will be dragged from country to country and resistance will only bring her misery and humiliation.

"Raja 1918", also known as "The Border", is a Finnish war drama film directed by Lauri Törhönen set in the immediate aftermath of the Finnish Civil War of 1918. It is spring of 1918. A young scientist and officer, captain von Munck (Martin Bahne), is sent to the village of Rajajoki to close the border between the newly independent Finland and Russia under Bolshevik revolution.

Summer 1944 in Finnish Karelia; after a long lull, the Soviet army launches an overwhelming offensive that throws everything into disarray. Martta has barely time to marry Aarne before she is evacuated with relatives Hilkka who has just given birth to a son Helmi Elisa, the children, and their grandmother. In the confusion of the retreat, the women try to hold together and cross the paths of Aarne and Arttu, the only surviving brother of war-widow Helmi Elisa. Implacably, war takes its toll of suffering and death among civilians and soldiers.

Making of Russian Ark (2002), with on camera personal views by members of the cast and crew of the major film.

Aleksander Sokurov brings the treasures of the Hermitage back into the light by making films about artists and their paintings. He has chosen the painter Hubert Robert, who spent a long time in Italy, and whose preference was for creating ancient ruined landscapes and naturalistic portrayals of times past. He was successful with the wealthy, who bought his works from him. The camera pans across the paintings while Sokurov speaks of a happy era, when the artist was at one with the spirit of the times, and agreed with the taste of his clients. Just how far removed from us this is, is shown by pictures of a "Nô" performance which are inter-cut on the screen. No words are necessary to describe what everybody knows today.

The film shows the preparation of a unique project, The Russian Ark" by Alexander Sokurov (Cannes 2002, in competition), seen "from the inside". The camera of Michal Bukojemski, an experienced director and cameraman, has captured the most important and eloquent instants from Alexander Sokurov's making of "The Russian Ark". The technicians of all the cinema professions are there: from the costume and set designers to the cast and extras.