Ep 98: Women in Russian Film: celebrating the female directors at Russian Film Festival UK 2021

This week on Girls On Film, we are celebrating the Russian Film Festival 2021, a month-long online festival in collaboration with ROSKINO. First, critic Hanna Flint joins Anna to discuss two of the female-directed films in the festival, Doctor Liza and Masha. Anna and Hanna ponder the clever use of levity and humour alongside harrowing subjects, and the stark realism in both of the films. They also talk about how exciting it is to see depictions of post-Soviet Russia on screen, in contrast to the period pieces we are accustomed to. Next, Anna talks to Evgenia Markova, the CEO of Roskino. Evgenia and Anna discuss the specific selection for RFF in London, how online platforms are opening up opportunities for female filmmakers in Russia, and the particular experiences that women creators bring into filmmaking. Evgenia gives a brilliant overview of how modern Russian film has been shaped by wider societal changes, and Roskino’s excitement for sharing Russian film internationally. The Russian Film Festival is showing online until the 10th of December 2021. Ten notable contemporary Russian films across various genres are available to watch on BFI Player Subscription with English subtitles. New customers can enjoy the festival films as part of an extended Subscription free trial using the voucher code RFF21. https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/russian-film-festival-2021 https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/collection/russian-film-festival-2021 Become a patron of Girls on Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Executive producer: Hedda Archbold. Audio Producer: Emma Butt. This episode was produced in partnership with the Russian Film Festival London. Interns: Rosa Herxheimer and Shanaiya Pithiya.