Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the 2018 Russian Resurrection Film Festival promises to put its best foot forward for the milestone with its grandest line-up yet.
Screening 16 films from November 7th to 14th at Brisbane’s Myer Centre Event Cinemas, the XV Russian Resurrection Film Festival will showcase Russian cinema at its most diverse with everything from powerful WWII-set drama (Sobibor) and family-friendly fantasy (The Last Warrior) to raunchy Full Monty-like comedy (Night Shift) and dramatic actioners fronted by women (The Challenge).
Some of the major highlights this year include In The Hood, a stylish action-packed thriller that should resonate with audiences who favour David Fincher’s brutal Fight Club. Headlined by Russian heartthrob Danila Kozlovsky, the fact-based film details the friendship between two young thugs whose latest job for the local mafia stands to test both their relationship and their own morality. A film fuelled by its own depiction of hyper masculinity, In The Hood is likely to cross boundaries for audiences unversed in the Russian cinema-scape.
Likely to entice a similar audience, Jumpman plays almost like a more medically-plausible Deadpool with an antagonist who suffers from a rare genetic condition that causes an inability to feel pain. Inspired by real events, and devised as a metaphor by director Ivan Tverdovskiy to comment on his homeland’s sickness under the crooked regime of Vladimir Putin, Jumpman is a tough and brutal yet stylish fable that delivers at once on its entertainment value and political response.
A lighter title that could earn crossover appeal thanks to its message of self-love and endearing central performance, I’m Losing Weight appears as if it’s working with a shallow temperament before ultimately promoting acceptance and choosing the best you you can be. With her love of food and her athletically-inclined boyfriend as the main focuses in life, the film’s central Anna (Aleksandra Bortich) soon learns that she can’t have both when he dumps her for a model when her food cravings take precedence. Though her character soon starts a health-kick to win him back, Alexei Nuzhny’s direction steers the film towards an empowering message that self-makeovers come more from inward than what we present physically.
In addition to the aforementioned titles, the Festival will showcase a retrospective collection that celebrates the 100-year anniversary of Lenfilm Studios in St. Petersburg and the 90-year anniversary of renowned director Vitaliy Melnikov.
To read more about the festival and purchase session tickets, click through here and follow them on Facebook (@RussianResurrectionFilmFest), Twitter (@RussiaFilm) and Instagram (@RussianFilmFest).
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