The Weather Outside Is Beautiful 52 min.	*
Directed by: Marina Razbezhkina Studio: Marina Razbezhkina's Workshop

This story is a confession of one of the most fascinating writers in modern Russia - Lyudmila Petrushevskaya: her revelations about the world, the creative process, and herself. The camera follows Petrushevskaya both at home and on tour, reciting her poetry and singing. The film is made by one of the leading documentary filmmakers in Russia today - Marina Razbezhkina, who has won over 20 awards both in Russia and abroad. This is the world premiere of the film. The screening is sponsored by Panorama Travel (USA).

Anna Netrebko - West-Eastern Diva 30 min.	*
Directed by: Anna Mitrokhina Producers: Yuri Linkevich, Dmitry Kuznetsov Studio: Dve Tochki

This film is a dual portrait of a striking, deep and multifaceted personality, and a mature master of the highest degree. Anna Netrebko remembers her childhood and her life choices, and shares her views on modern opera, her professional secrets, and the way she raises her son Tiago. Anna's colleagues, stage partners, friends and family - her father Yuri Netrebko, sister Natalia, the artistic director of the Mariinsky Theater Valery Gergiev, director of Vienna opera Ion Hollender, Roberto Alagna, Massimo Giordano, and others talk about Anna's uniqueness and her talent as a performer.

Victor Astafyev. The Merry Soldier 45 min.	*
Directed by: Andrey Zaitsev Studio: Sentyabr

Winner of the highest award in Russia in 2010, the Golden Eagle award (for best documentary film). Winner of "Laurel Branch" (for best feature documentary film). Winner of Audience award at Flaertiana film festival. This film portrays Victor Astafyev, a soldier who went to war in 1942, was thrice wounded and finished the war in the same rank of soldier. The film is structured around rare footage that was made two years prior to Astafyev's death. Astafyev's documentary truth is sometimes repulsive, but the story he tells is a reality of war.

The Arithmetic of Freedom 53 min.	*
Directed by: Alexander Marutian Studio: Granted by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation

The film tells the story of the only successful rebellion of prisoners in a concentration camp (Sobibor, Poland) during World War II. Over 250 thousand Jews from Lithuania, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Czechoslovakia and USSR were murdered in Sobibor. The film uses some of the footage from 1980 in which Alexander Pechersky, who organized the rebellion, tells his story, as well as interviews with other camp prisoners, including Thomas Blatt, Haim Engel, Semion Rozenfeld, Alexei Vaitsen, Esther Raab, Regina Zelinsky, Ulius Shelvis. US Premiere.

Victor Nekrasov. Life in Trenches 53 min.	*
Directed by: Alexei Shishov (1956-2010), Yelena Yakovich Studio: RAKORD-TV

An idol of many generations, Victor Nekrasov had written, perhaps, the best book about war, "In the Trenches of Stalingrad", had become the youngest laureate of the Stalin award, and had ended up living out his days in exile in Paris. The film features interviews with Nekrasov and unique footage of his performances in Moscow and Paris. The directors, Alexei Shishov and Yelena Yakovich, are laureates of both the Second and Third festivals of Russian Documentary Film in New York for their works "The World after Auschwitz" and "The Golden Age of Ernst Neizvestny" as well as TEFI award winners for their film "Walking with Brodsky". 

The Enthusiast's Demarche 52 min.	*
Directed by: Sergey Kokovkin (USA) Script by: Sergey Kokovkin (USA)

The film includes interviews with: Elena Dovlatova, Dovlatov's widow; Ksana Mechik, Dovlatov's sister; Lev Losev, writer; Andrey Ariev, writer/critic; Vagrich Bachkhanyan, artist/writer; Vitaly Komar, artist; Lyudmila Stern, writer; Alexander Genis, writer; and many others. Dovlatov's fate was full of mysteries and changes. He played with his life the same way he played with his characters - openly and recklessly. He passed away at the age of 48, just missing his fantastic popularity back at home in Russia. Candid, occasionally almost confessional stories told in the film help develop a multi-faceted, uniquely lively personality of a wonderful man and a great writer. The film aims to create the effect that Sergey Dovlatov is still here with us. The screening is sponsored by The New Review Corporation (USA).

An Unfinished Conversation 43 min.	*
Directed by: Petr Shepotinnik Studio: "Culture" TV channel

The film is constructed around interviews with Mikhail Kozakov, filmed in various periods of his life. All of them are very personal reflections of the wonderful actor and director, an intelligent and sophisticated man. The meaning of life, poetry, and his relationship with the acting profession are reflected as well. His thoughts are clear and penetrating. He speaks as if he is talking to himself - so natural and spontaneous are his intonations. He thinks out loud about things that have worried him throughout his entire life. Now his "unfinished conversation" will never be finished. On April 22nd, 2011, Mikhail Kozakov passed away.

The Swamp 27 min.	*
Directed by: Irina Vasilyeva Studio: Fishka-Film

The film is made in the long-forgotten genre of political satire. As is well-known, much has changed in Russia over the last 20 years, and yet nothing has changed over the last 300. The particularities of the Russian mentality are shown through a portrait of today's Ivan Susanin, who every summer leads tours through the forests of Kostroma, working as a forest ranger in the winters. The film was awarded the top prize at "TeleProfi - 2010". The director Irina Vasilyeva is the winner of the Stanislav and Andrey Rostotsky prize and winner of the "Window to Europe" film festival (2009).

Running the Country Path 30 min.	*
Directed by: Oleg Afanasyev Studio: GTRK "DON-TR", Rostov-on-Don

Winner of "Salt of the Earth" festival (Samara, Russia). For the first time at our festival, we are proud to present a film by filmmakers from Southern Russia. This is an honest, poetic elegy about love for your land and the love of life. The heroes of the films are those that hold this land together - they are simple dwellers of the banks of the river Don, who stand firmly on their feet, and keep the legacies of their forefathers.

Pray to God for Us (The Butovo Firing Range) 52 min.	*
Directed by: Alexey Ilukhin Studio: TV-Rossia

Winner of "Zolotoy Vityaz" film festival. At the outskirts of the Butovo part of the south of Moscow is the former firing range of the NKVD, where from the 1930's and until the beginning of the 1950's, tens of thousands of people were shot and buried. This area became the Russian Golgotha, a place of mourning for those, whose relatives did not survive the repression years. A few hundred of them have recently been granted sainthood as martyrs. In the mid-1990's this area was given to the Russian Orthodox Church. A new church was built there in honor of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. The film is shown out of competition. The screening is sponsored by NTS (USA).

Lemnos Island. Russian Golgotha 45 min.

Directed by: Galina Ogurnaya Project coordinator: Elena Chavchavadze Studio: Russian Cultural Foundation

The film is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Russian exodus. The "Russians without Russia" film series opens up new pages in the history of the first wave of Russian immigration. Today, the average Russian knows very little about the Cossack corps led by General Wrangel. But Lemnos is a short, yet unique chapter in the history of the White movement that can only be compared to the sitting at Gallipoli. This Greek island in the Aegean Sea became home to tens of thousands of refugees from Russia and parts of the Russian army, led by commanding General Petr Wrangel. The Cossacks labeled Lemnos "The Isle of Death", where every day was spent not only fighting for physical survival, but also for honor and dignity. The remains of a few hundred people, including small children, will forever rest there. Their fates are moving and touching. The film includes interviews with descendants of those who survived this horror and, through it all, remained Russian.

Hitch the Wagon to the Stars... 52 min.

Directed by: Alexander Gurianov Studio: Russian Way

A cinematic story about Churaevka - a Russian town in Connecticut. In the 1930's-40's Churaevka was a lively place, visited by S. Rakhmaninov, M. Chekhov, N. Roerich, I. Sikorsky, Siberian immigrant writer and Churaevka's founder G.D. Grebenshikov, and others. In the 1930's Grebenshikov decided to build a chapel in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Churaevka. The architectural plans of the chapel were made by N.K. Roerich, the construction was funded by donations, with the biggest given by Igor Sikorsky. Currently both the Churaevka village and the Sergius of Radonezh chapel are in the Historical Monuments Registry of the United States.

The Artists of Odessa 47 min.	*
Directed by: Dmitry Khavin (USA) Financed by: CEC ArtsLink (USA)

A nostalgic look from New York director Dmitry Khavin at the homeland of his ancestors. The viewer sees Odessa as it was seen by Babel, Zhabotinsky, Eisenstein, Kandinksy, and others. Modern artists, actors, and poets - both those who have left their childhood home and those who have stayed - tell stories of their favorite city with typical Odessa humor.

Points of Tenderness 30 min.	*
Directed by: Ivan Tverdovsky Studio: VGIK, Tochka Zrenia film studio

Winner of festivals "Message to Man", "ARTKino" (Main Prize), "Rossia" (Special Jury Prize). A film about an actress who doesn't act. Through documentary film she attempts to dot all the i's of her life. This film is a prose by a young director about a young woman, who attempts to find herself and her place in the world.

Kamchatka. The Salmon Country 30 min.	*
Directed by: Daniel Levin (USA) Studio: Pepela Production (USA)

A work by an American documentary filmmaker on the subject of ecological and economical problems of Russian Kamchatka. Journalists, ecologists, forest rangers - those who bravely oppose poaching and corruption in these Pacific parts of modern Russia - tell the stories of their struggles and hopes. The film presents the beautiful but crumbling world of Kamchatka nature.

Andrey Voznesensky. Lyric 50 min.	*
Director: Petr Shepotinnik Studio: "Culture" TV channel

This film is dedicated Andrey Voznesensky. This is the last footage of the poet reading his works before his death. In the interviews, Voznesensky, who has already mostly lost his voice, tells about his feelings on the beginning of the 21st century, and how he sees the future of Russia. The film was made in 2008, but in accordance with the poet's wishes was only shown after his death. It premiered in Moscow in February of 2011. This is its American premiere.

Sergey Yursky: The Game of Life

Directed by: Mikhail Minkin Studio: "Culture" TV channel

The film is about one of the brightest actors and directors of Russian theater and film - Sergey Yursky. The phenomenon of Yursky's personality is his universality. He is equally talented as a stage actor, sole reader, writer. The art of Yursky is an event in the cultural life of the entire country. This film was made with the participation of Daria Yurskaya, Natalia Tenyakova, Alexander Kalyagin, Andrey Khrzhanovsky, Avdotia Smirnova, Alexander Filippenko, Dmitry Bykov, Lev Anninsky, Alexei Simonov, Vladimir Menshov, Pavel Khomsky.

River of Life 85 min.	*
Directed by: Sergey Miroshnichenko Studio: Ostrov

The famous Sergey Miroshnichenko is an Emmy award winner (USA) and a Golden Eagle award winner (Russia). The film, narrated in part by Valentin Rasputin, tells of the Angara river problems: the story of villagers that are being relocated because of a new hydroelectric station construction, of people who are forced to leave their ancestral lands that will forever be submerged under water.