The festival opens on 7 November with The Coach, directed by and featuring super hunk Danila Kozlovsky – the biggest name in Russia cinema at the moment. The Coach captures the emotion and spirit of the Russian football world, following Yuri, the country’s star striker, and his fall from grace and subsequent redemptive arc. The film is heart-warming and inspirational – a great choice for the festival premiere.

In The Hood is another Danila Kozlovsky film. This one is edgy and hyper-masculine action thriller. Also on offer are two films by Konstantin Khabenskiy, Selfie and Sobibor. The former is a sexy psychological thriller, and the latter is a Holocaust drama centring on the real-life Sobibor concentration camp breakout. Laugh out loud with Night Shift, the Russian Full Monty equivalent that also pokes fun at Russia’s political system and culture. Lady With a Little Dog is a classic that will take you (five/ten/twenty years) back to your first love. Another romance is I’m Losing Weight, a light rom-com based on friendship and love. Jumpman is a highly realistic, brutal and gripping arthouse drama. Pagans is also a arthouse drama but it tackles existential and philosophical questions. For family fun, try The Last Warrior, a fantasy set in Belogorie featuring Slavic fairy tale characters Baba Yaga and Koschei.

The festival closes with the powerful moving trilogy Witnesses which tells the story of the Holocaust from the perspective of three uncanny witnesses on 14 November. The Russian Resurrection Film Festival screens in Brisbane at Event Cinemas Myer Centre from November 7 – November 14. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at the box office or online at www.russianresurrection.com/2018/sessions/2018-eventbrisbane

Russian Resurrection Film Festival 2018
Sydney: 01 to 11 November
Brisbane: 07 to 14 November
Melbourne: 09 to 18 November 2018
Canberra: 13 to 18 November 2018
Perth: 15 to 21 November
www.russianresurrection.com

To enter this great competition just fill out the entry form below.

Competition will be drawn 05 November 2018, winners will be notified by mail.

The festival has released a sneak peek of the lineup, confirming some of this year’s most anticipated Russian films. Sobibor and Selfie, the latest two films by Russian actor, Konstantin Khabensky, have been confirmed, as well as The Last Warrior, a captivating new fantasy film, Ice, a figure skating melodrama, Night Shift, a raucous comedy about male strippers, and Coach, Danila Kozlovsky’s directorial debut. Kozlovsky cleverly aligned Coach to release just before this year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.

“Russian Resurrection is thrilled to be celebrating our 15-year anniversary this year and is looking forward to showcasing the best of Russian cinema with audiences across Australia and New Zealand in November. We have already locked in a wonderful selection of new Russian films and will be announcing more in coming weeks,” said Festival Director Nicholas Maksymow.

Following the success of the World Cup this year, the festival will be screening the popular new sports drama Coach. Directed by Danila Kozlovsky, who also plays the main role, Coach tells the story of a professional soccer player who, after being forced to leave the national team, takes on the job of coaching a small-town provincial team. The cast also includes Irina Gorbacheva, notable for Arrhythmia, one of the most popular films from last year’s program.
Selfie is a 2018 Russian thriller directed by Nikolay Khomeriki, and starring Konstantin Khabensky and Feodor Bondarchuk. The film follows popular writer and TV presenter, Vladimir Bogdanov, who has a look alike that takes over his life. This psychological thriller is not just about identity theft, but about something deeper – the doppelgänger tragedy, and how our online personas take up most of our lives.

2018 marks the 75th anniversary of the Sobibor extermination camp mass breakout – the most successful attempt in any World War II camp. New Russian historical drama Sobibor is dedicated to these events. The film is the highly anticipated directorial debut of Konstantin Khabensky. He stars alongside leading Russian and Hollywood actors.

On a much lighter note, Max loses his job at the factory and he takes up the obscure job of a male stripper in order to feed his family. The Kremlin can eat its heart out in this hilarious comedy, Night Shift.

Ice was a huge success at the Russian box office  earlier  this year. The film follows Nadya, an aspirational figure skater. Her hard work,  faith, and perseverance pay off, but, just when her dreams are about to come true, the ice  cracks  beneath her. In order to survive, Nadya must dream-the-dream again and work harder than ever.

New fantasy film The Last Warrior will take audiences to the land of Belogorie, where Russian fairy tale characters, magic, and enchanted sword fights are part of everyday life! Channelling classic fantasy stories like Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia, this film is a must see for lovers of fantasy – both young and old.

Directed by Lera Surkova, new drama Pagans will also screen at this November. Based on the play by Anna Yablonskaya, the film is set inside the confines of an apartment and a drama is played out between family members, mixed with a hidden blind faith in a miracle, following a visit of a devout grandmother. Among this family madness, a tragic love story of a teenage girl unfolds.

Don’t miss this year’s Resurrection! Tickets on sale soon.

Russian Resurrection Film Festival 2018 
Sydney: 01 to 11 November
Brisbane: 07 to 14 November
Melbourne: 09 to 18 November 2018
Canberra: 13 to 18 November 2018
Perth: 15 to 21 November
www.facebook.com/RussianResurrectionFilmFest

Russian Resurrection Film Festival Director Nicholas Maksymow has recently arrived back in Australia after attending the world premiere of The Bolshoi, held at the magnificent Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

Other VIP guests in the audience of the premiere included Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, the Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets, and Russian A-listers including Actor/Director Fyodr Bondarchuk and Chelsea Football Club Owner Roman Abramovich.

“Russian Resurrection Film Festival is very pleased to announce the dates and cinemas for 2017 and we are thrilled to confirm the Australian and New Zealand premiere of Valery Todorosky’s The Bolshoi will be held at this year’s festival. Moving and entertaining, The Bolshoi is a majestic treasure that succeeds on the big screen and we are so excited to bring the film to audiences across Australia and New Zealand later this year,” says Nicholas Maksymow, Festival Director of Russian Resurrection Film Festival.

The Bolshoi tells the story of a young small-town girl who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. With the help of her talent, skill, patience and ambition she hopes to reach the pinnacle in ballet and become a principle dancer with the Bolshoi Theatre.

Todorovsky’s film crew was the first in history to be given access to the majestic Bolshoi Theatre to shoot a film. In addition to a cast of professional actors over 70 ballet dancers and students were selected to dance on the historic stage and play lead characters in the film.

The Bolshoi was released theatrically in Russia last month and is receiving exceptional reviews.

The program for Russian Resurrection Film Festival 2017 is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever with a fantastic line up of new films confirmed for this year.

The largest and most respected festival of Russian film outside of Russia will be screening across Australia and New Zealand throughout October and November.

“ We have carefully selected films which represent the range and breadth of quality Russian films, so whether you’re looking to immerse yourself in Russian culture, undertake a historical journey, succumb to an entertaining romance or something to take the kids to, this year’s program will satisfy all tastes!” – Festival Director, Nicholas Maksymow.

Opening night film and new adventure film Spacewalkers (2017) will screen at Event Cinemas Myer Centre on Wednesday November 1 at 6:4pm. Tickets include:- Film, Live Entertainment, Food and Imperial Vodka Cocktails. Starring renowned Russian actors Mironov, Khabenskiy and Ilyin Spacewalkers is based on a true story. The film is set during the heat of the Space Race where USSR and the USA competed for supremacy in space.  Both superpowers aim to be the first to have a man walk in outer space and it’s up to the unlikely duo of a seasoned war veteran and a hot-headed test-pilot to fulfil the mission.

Directed by Boris Khlebnikov Arrhythmia (2017) took home the major prize for Best Film at Russia’s Kinotavr in June this year. The arthouse drama went on to make its international debut at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where its male lead Alexander Yatsenko won the best actor prize. The film follows the lives of Oleg, a gifted and opinionated paramedic and his wife Katya who works at the hospital emergency department. Caught between emergency calls, alcohol-fuelled  sessions and the search for a meaning in life, Oleg and Katya need to find the binding force that keeps them together.

Set in Moscow in Summer 2016 About Love: Adults Only (2017) is a must-see comedy on the program this year. A follow up to the popular 2015 About Love,  the film features a new lecture, a new guest lecturer (played by renowned American actor and director, John Malkovich) and a new theme: “How to preserve love in the modern world”.  Five different love stories are brought together in this hilarious light-hearted comedy about love.

Directed by Pavel Chukhray, Cold Tango (2017) is set in 1941 as the German Army sweeps into Lithuania plunging its Jewish population, including the young Max and his family, into grave peril. The film brings to life the terrifying realities of life under an oppressive foreign occupation – first by Nazi Germany and then by the forces of the Soviet Union. In this climate of fear and violence, Max meets and falls in love with Laima – a Lithuanian girl whose family takes him under their protection, but who also carry their own dark secrets.

Set in 1904 in the aftermath of one of the battles of the Russian–Japanese war is new drama Anna Karenina: Vronsky’s Story (2017). The story follows Sergei Karenin and Alexey Vronsky who find themselves thrown together in a remote Manchurian village, where fate offers them a chance to return to the events long past and, finally, to find the answers both have long been seeking.

The Kitchen: World Chef Battle (2017 is the highly anticipated witty follow-up to the hit Kitchen in Paris. Before meeting Anna, a beautiful French woman, all Ivan was interested in was digital codes and hacker programs. Anna and Ivan both fly to Sochi to compete in the World Championship for Chefs: Anna will represent France and Ivan will cook for Russia. Ivan must earn the trust of his culinary super-team and sort out his relationship with his father, well-known chef Victor Barinov.  If only Ivan would stick to the recipes – he may avoid trouble, chaos and prison, all whilst helping television personality and host for the World Championship for Chefs, Dmitri Nagiev, escape a forced marriage.

Snow Queen 3 – Fire and Ice (2017) is a sequel to the popular family animations The Snow Queen and Snow Queen 2. After heroically defeating both the Snow Queen and the Snow King, Gerda still cannot find peace. She is on a mission to find her parents and in Snow Queen 3 – Fire and Ice Gerda and her friends embark on an exciting journey encountering new challenges along the way.

Fast-paced black comedy road movie, Blockbuster (2017) is about two young women on the run and their unlikely friendship as a result of a wild series of bizarre events. A satirical take on modern television, low-rent media and the heroes of our times with each one struggling for the ultimate breakthrough.

All up 14 new films will screen as part of the XIV Russian Resurrection Film Festival.

Russian Resurrection Film Festival 2017
Sydney: 26 October to 5 November at Event Cinemas George Street and Burwood
Perth: 27 October to 1 November at Cinema Paradiso, Northbridge
Brisbane: 01 November to 08 November at Event Cinemas Myer Centre Brisbane City
Canberra: 10-15 November at Capitol Cinemas Manuka
Melbourne: 09 to 19 November at ACMI
www.russianresurrection.com