Titles in Women’s Day Screenings
7 March 2019 – Lighthouse (2006) by Maria Saakyan
In an extraordinary debut, Maria Saakyan’s humanist drama The Lighthouse unfolds against the backdrop of the Caucasus wars that plagued Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan during the early 1990s. The film unfolds with a dream-like emphasis on vision and sound and follows the story of a young woman, Lena (Anna Kapaleva), who returns to her home in a remote, war-ravaged Armenian village to try and persuade her grandparents to leave with her for safety in Moscow.
8 March 2018 – Brief Encounters (1968) by Kira Muratova
Kino Klassika’s second annual International Women’s Day gala sees Kira Muratova’s 1967 romantic drama Brief Encounters screened on March 8th at Soho House. This evening is held in collaboration with Veuve Clicquot and introduced by Francine Stock, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Film Programme.
8 March 2017 – Beginning of an Unknown Century (1967) by Larisa Shepitko and Andrei Smirnov
On the occasion of March 8th, International Womens’ Day, Kino Klassika presents Larisa Shepitko and Andrei Smirnov’s omnibus film, Beginning of an Unknown Century in partnership with Art Social.
Maria Saakyan
Maria Saakyan drew international praise for her poetic debut feature The Lighthouse. In just over a decade, she revolutionised her national Armenian film industry and the international standing of Armenian cinema and invented a uniquely poetic language for female interiority. Saakyan’s films brought this earthy, ordinary mystery to the screen. Notable works include The Lighthouse (2007), I’m Going to Change My Name (2012), Entropy (Entropiya)(2013)
Kira Muratova
Kira Muratova (b. 1934) graduated from the All-Union State Filmmaking Institute (Sergei Gerasimov’s workshop) in 1962. Despite a career repeatedly stifled by censorship, Muratova has amassed a number of prestigious awards. Long Farewells (made in 1971 and shelved until 1987) received a FIPRESCI award at the Film Festival in Locarno. The Aesthenic Syndrom (1991) which is considered Muratova’s masterpiece, received a Nika (Russian Film Academy) award and “The Silver Bear” Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2000 Muratova was chosen as the first recipient of the Andrzei Wajda/Philip Morris Freedom Prize.
Larisa Shepitko
