Aleksandr Sokurov

A ghost and a French marquis wander through the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, encountering scenes from many different periods of its history.

Master filmmaker Alexander Sokurov (Russian Ark) transforms a portrait of the world-renowned museum into a magisterial, centuries-spanning reflection on the relation between art, culture and power.

Five years in the making, based on six lengthy interviews filmed on six different locations in Saint Petersburg, we meet an outspoken artist who covers here his entire life and prolific career. The locations were Sokurov’s own favourites, where he felt at home.

This intimately narrated journey from Russia to Rotterdam, via rail, road and Finnish ferry, is a melancholy meditation on divinity, time and place in art, purpose (or its lack) and the loneliness of the soul. Passing through misty snowscapes, half-glimpsed cities and the icy night sea-swell.

Agnès Varda travels around the world to meet friends, artists and filmmakers for an expansive view of the global contemporary art scene.

Yekaterinburg, Russia, July 17th, 1917. Czar Nicholas II Romanov and his entire family are brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks. This tragic event puts an end to the long dynasty that had ruled the country with an iron hand since the coronation of Michael I Romanov in 1613.

A 1988 documentary film directed by Alexander Sokurov, about the later life and death of Soviet Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. The film was originally intended to mark the 50th birthday of Tarkovsky in 1982, which would have been before his death. Controversy with Soviet authorities about the film's style and content led to significant delays in the production.

Explores some of the most innovative attempts by contemporary artists, filmmakers, architects etc to explore multiple Temporalities and to counter the uniform sense of time promoted by our technology-driven society.

A portrait of Naum Kleiman — film scholar, historian, and sage. In conversation with him, a vast cultural landscape unfolds, where Pushkin meets Godard, Sokurov, Dionysius, Eisenstein, Snyders, Glass, Ozu, and many others. Kleiman reveals the simplicity of mystery, and in doing so, reveals himself.

From 1961 to 1995, Alexander Sokurov kept a personal diary, recording both important events and everyday trivia. Now these candid recordings are taking on a new life in a large-scale five-hour documentary, intertwined with footage from iconic films of that era. This is not just the autobiography of a famous director, but a personal look at the history of the second half of the 20th century, full of reflections and observations.

1945, an attack aviation regiment is based at the field airfield, which is served by a team of young girls. The last days of the war are coming... In one of the battles, Lieutenant Volynin’s attack aircraft, damaged by a shell fragment, landed in territory occupied by the Germans. Air gunner Shchepov carried the wounded commander out of the burning plane. With the help of the Polish teacher Anna, they managed to get to theirs. And everyday life at the front began again. A few days before the Victory, Dima Shchepov died. Volynin took the death of his friend seriously. But it was even harder for him to learn about the death of Anna, whom he loved and whom he promised to find after the war...

In "The Soviet Elegy" the long train of photos of the Soviet leaders, dead or alive, stops at the portrait of Yeltsin. At the time of shooting Yeltsin had fallen down from the assembly of the Communist Party deities, and participated in the earthly life through connections of different kinds.

An encounter with the great Russian film director Alexander Sokurov, which gives rise to a lot of questions about his artistic stand and the problems he touches upon and resolves in his works. The film presents the director’s thoughts about the history of cinema, about the power of the sound and image, about the past and future of cinema, accompanied by fragments from his films and various archival materials.

The second film by Sokurov featuring Boris Yeltsin as the principal character. Now he is the President of Russia, invested with power, bearing the full responsibility for the destinies of his distant compatriots as well as his closest kin and friends.

Making of Russian Ark, with on camera personal views by members of the cast and crew of the major film.

The story about the life of Shaliapin’s family, and an emotional generalization of the life of people in modern Leningrad.

A worldwide guided tour of the greatest movies ever made and the story of international cinema through the history of cinematic innovation.

Agnès Varda takes us on a journey of discovery as she travels the globe—from Stockholm to St. Petersburg, Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City to Los Angeles—meeting with friends, artists, and fellow filmmakers.