CT's Fairfield University Launches Russian Film Series Tonight, 10/18

Fairfield University's Russian and East European Studies Program will present a fall Russian film series, featuring four screenings that are free and open to the public. All four films, which are subtitled, will be shown on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the DiMenna-Nyselius Library Multimedia Room, unless otherwise noted.

The series opens tonight, October 18, with Director Karen Shakhnazarov's 2008 film "The Vanished Empire." Set against the backdrop of Brezhnev-era Moscow in the early 1970s, the film chronicles the rites of passage into adulthood of a university student, Sergey, as his life is tested by love, loyalty to family, and ties to friends and country. This screening will take place in Canisius Hall, Room 15.

The second film, which will be shown on Thursday, November 1, is Andrey Zvyagintsev's "The Return," winner of the 2003 Venetian Golden Lion. It is a gripping coming of age tale set in motion by a road trip taken by two brothers and their estranged father.

On Thursday, November 15, the University will screen "The Italian," a 2005 film by Director Andrey Kravchuk. This poignantly compelling story centers on a six-year-old orphan and his travails reuniting with the family he was to be separated from forever.

The final film is director Anna Melikyan's "The Mermaid," which will be screened on Thursday, December 6. This imaginative 2007 tale tells the story of Amélie and her journey of self-discovery in present-day Russia.

For more information on the series, contact Elena Syssoeva at esyssoeva@fairfield.edu.