Online festival of Russian-language films is a spine-tingling treat for horror lovers

Pittsburgh University’s Russian Film Symposium has launched an online programme ranging from crime thrillers to watercolour animations.

Headlining the festival is Ichi-ichi (2020), a hypnotic horror film set in the Sakha Republic. Shot half in Sakha and half in Russian, Ichi-ichi is the first independent film from the region, which boasts its own local film industry, to get international distribution. The film, which explores collective memory and imagination with the story of a local spirit, will screen for US viewers on Saturday 8 May, followed by a panel discussion.

Other films in the programme include Vladimir Zinkevich’s Spice Boyz, a 2020 Belarusian serial killer horror movie, and a series of animated shorts uniting classical and contemporary female animators, screening on Friday 14 May.

Organised by Pittsburgh University, the symposium has been running since 1999. This year’s edition, the first to take place online, focuses on documentaries, animated films, and horror stories, genres that, according to the programme’s curators, rarely get international distribution beyond Russia.

Discover the full programme and book tickets here.