Friday | 19.04.24

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Monthly Screenings

Mosfilm Presents: The Victory Over the Nazis in Russian Cinema

The Jerusalem Cinematheque is proud to continue its collaboration with Mosfilm, the largest film production company in Russia, and to present a special program exploring the victory over the Nazis in Russian cinema. The selection showcases some of the foremost classics of cinema. Their common ground is the understanding that war is not just a significant historical event, but also a black hole of values and conscience that demands observation and resolution, and they formulate it with cinematic means that captivate the heart and mind.

We wish to wholeheartedly thank Mosfilm and its director Karen Shakhnazarov for their ongoing friendship and support.

Onsite screening

Ballad of a Soldier

Dir.: Grigory Chukhray
| 88 minutes

This is the story – a young soldier returns home for a short visit in the height of WWII. With striking camerawork, Chukhray plays on the heartstrings to create a candid portrait of the Soviet Union during the war.

The Cranes Are Flying

Dir.: Mikhail Kalatozov
| 95 minutes

With her fiancé on the battlefront, Veronika must go on with her routine and wait for a sign of life as WWII rages on. A digitally-restored print of Mikhail Kalatozov’s Soviet masterpiece, winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or in 1958.

Fate of a Man

Dir.: Sergei Bondarchuk
| 103 minutes

Andrei Sokolov’s life is rattled by WWII – he enlists as a truck driver, falls into captivity, survives prison camp, and manages to escape. “Emotional, expressionistic, lyrical; it takes you by the heart” (Village Voice). 

Hot Snow

Dir.: Gavriil Yegiazarov
| 105 minutes

November, 1942, at the height of the battle for Stalingrad, Soviet forces manage to crown the Nazi army that controls the city. This is a film about war, about commitment and endless sacrifice, but the finale chord seems a bit ironic, perhaps even subversive.

Ivan’s Childhood

Dir.: Andrei Tarkovsky
| 95 minutes

Tarkovsky’s lyrically psychological film looks at a twelve-year-old boy who, during WWll, engages in intelligence work against the Nazis. He seems a fearless individual, but his dreams reveal the terror involved in growing up so quickly. 

They Fought for Their Country

Dir.: Sergei Bondarchuk
| 137 minutes

July, 1942. German forces are overtaking Ukrainian steppes on their way to Stalingrad. On the opposite side are the Soviet troops, trying to defend the bridgehead of the Don River. In the masterful hands of Sergei Bondarchuk, war is a torture chamber that extracts inglorious strengths.

The Ascent

Dir.: Larisa Schepitko
| 108 minutes

Survival and sacrifice, the value of life and ideology are some of the subjects Schepitko tackles in her adaptation on WWII stories by writer Vasil Bykov. The breathtaking black-and-white cinematography is only one of the reasons that makes The Ascent a masterpiece that should not be missed.

Come and See

Dir.: Elem Klimov
| 154 minutes

German-occupied Belarus, 1943. Klimov’s hyper-realistic masterpiece describes the atrocities of war as seen through the eyes of a 15-year-old partisan.

The Star

Dir.: Nikolay Lebedev
| 88 minutes

In this action-packed war thriller, a special Soviet patrol squad is sent deep into enemy territory to prevent a counter attack. The squad, known as The Star, is composed of elite soldiers that are characterized by their commitment and faith in the righteousness of their mission. 

Road to Berlin

Dir.: Sergei Popov
| 82 minutes

Summer, 1942. Ograkov is sentenced to death after failing to transmit an urgent message. A taciturn private from Kazakhstan is ordered to guard him, but the Germans’ rapid movement forces the two to escape. Their journey, will create a bond between the two.

White Tiger

Dir.: Karen Shakhnazarov
| 104 minutes

1943. A Russian tank driver, suffering from PTSD, is sent on a special mission: to locate and destroy a new, mythical German tank called the “white tiger”. An excellent action-packed and impressive film.