On the 21st of January, CEC ArtsLink http://www.cecartslink.org/ gave four young, Russian filmmakers the opportunity to show their work to New York City film-lovers.
The films we were shown at Tribeca Cinemas on Thursday, January 21st were four shorts ranging from about 10 to 25 minutes each. They were: The Boss, directed by and starring Yuri Bykov, Boulevard, directed by Alisa Khmelnitskaya, Mom, directed by Ilya Kazankov, and The Gust of Wind, directed by Ekaterina Telegina.
The film that left the biggest impression on me was "The Boss", though the audience seemed to be partial towards Mom. Although all the films were clearly products of talent, skill, and hard work, in my eyes The Boss possessed something extra. While some of the other films were a bit messy and underdeveloped, Yuri Bykov’s command of his film as well as the role he played shows that he has stepped out of the realm of inexperience and into the realm of professionalism and detailed control of his work. "The Boss" is the story of burglars unknowingly breaking into the house of a ruthless FSB member—a mistake that would cost them their lives. It was concrete, it was believable, it was scary. The Yuri Bykov acting was phenomenal. "Mom" was touching and got a lot of laughs, "Boulevard" was funny and the dialogue was perfect, and The Gust of Wind was thoughtful, beautiful, and stylishly artistic. I am excited to see where these filmmakers go and how their craft develops into something spectacular.
As expected, the night was enjoyable and inspirational. I was more than impressed by the films I was lucky enough to see, and as Russia has recently lost its name for great filmmaking, I am pleased to see that young Russian men and women are taking on the art of cinema and hopefully helping to bring back Russia’s reputation in this field.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Making a Special Appearance
Just before the Russian Christmas an International Program “Chelovek v Kadre” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cu7JlHXyf4 aired a segment about me, Irina Shmeleva, honored actress of the Russian Federation.
One summer day, while I was in Moscow Sergey Kapkov gave me a call and asked me if I would want to shoot the segment for the program. I was in Moscow filming “Podkidysh” in “Chas Volkova “ series. Surprised but happy to do an interview and shooting of the serie at the same time. The program was going to present my story and my journey as an actress. Sergey Kapkov who is very kind, professional and gifted interviewed me and spoke about my childhood and the steps I took in becoming an actress. They mentioned how I was one of the few to be chosen to enter the theater program. There were 5750 applicants but only 46 were chosen, 26 graduated and six admitted to Moscow theatres including me.
Some friends and colleagues that I know gave their opinions about me. Olga Kabo described me as Americanized, ambitious, and having great ability to plan ahead. She also mentioned how there are two different sides of me, one feministic and the other a firm and strong willed person. Leonid Kulagin saw me as an “optimistic monkey.” Though I took monkey to be a bit insulting he said that I was a monkey because of my drive and energy. He said I was very special. Igor Butman stated that it is a waste do not use such a great actress like me and this is why Russian cinematography is not in a good condition right now.
I enjoyed the program very much. I was able to see myself acting in the clips they played from my movies. It was the first time I saw myself because I usually don’t like to see my work for I think there’s always something to improve but when I saw myself I was proud of my acting and actually thought that I did a pretty good job. This was a new and interesting experience and I appreciate the gesture of the program in having my story aired and the wonderful compliments of those I spoke with.
One summer day, while I was in Moscow Sergey Kapkov gave me a call and asked me if I would want to shoot the segment for the program. I was in Moscow filming “Podkidysh” in “Chas Volkova “ series. Surprised but happy to do an interview and shooting of the serie at the same time. The program was going to present my story and my journey as an actress. Sergey Kapkov who is very kind, professional and gifted interviewed me and spoke about my childhood and the steps I took in becoming an actress. They mentioned how I was one of the few to be chosen to enter the theater program. There were 5750 applicants but only 46 were chosen, 26 graduated and six admitted to Moscow theatres including me.
Some friends and colleagues that I know gave their opinions about me. Olga Kabo described me as Americanized, ambitious, and having great ability to plan ahead. She also mentioned how there are two different sides of me, one feministic and the other a firm and strong willed person. Leonid Kulagin saw me as an “optimistic monkey.” Though I took monkey to be a bit insulting he said that I was a monkey because of my drive and energy. He said I was very special. Igor Butman stated that it is a waste do not use such a great actress like me and this is why Russian cinematography is not in a good condition right now.
I enjoyed the program very much. I was able to see myself acting in the clips they played from my movies. It was the first time I saw myself because I usually don’t like to see my work for I think there’s always something to improve but when I saw myself I was proud of my acting and actually thought that I did a pretty good job. This was a new and interesting experience and I appreciate the gesture of the program in having my story aired and the wonderful compliments of those I spoke with.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
A Night with Keith Gessen
This past Thursday, it was a delight to have our previous meetup group feature a renowned writer, Keith Gessen, as our guest speaker invited by Misha Gutkin of Voice of America. In addition to writing for numerous popular publications, the intelligent and soft-spoken Mr. Gessen has written his first novel in 2008, All the Sad Young Literary Men.
Gessen is further the co-editor-in-chief of N+1, a magazine that is published twice a year, and addresses the issues of politics, culture and literature, with a circulation of 7,500. Our group members were very taken with Gessen and his magazine, and were especially curious about the intriguing algebraic name of the magazine. So, when asked what it means, Gessen revealed: Infinity. When pressed for further questions about the magazine, Gessen informed the group that upon graduation he and three of his colleagues were disheartened by the fact that they were limited in what they could write, and yearned to write about something different, something not typically addressed. That is when they decided chip-in $2,000 each and found N+1, including Russian immigration topics within the publication. After their first publication, the founders broke even, realizing the successful business model of their magazine. Within two years, N+1’s popularity has risen and they are receiving numerous invitations to various events including a magazine reading next Tuesday at The New School.
However, Gessen’s achievements do not stop there. He is also well-known for being a book critic and for his translation of Ludmilla Petrushevskaya’s outstanding novel, There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor’s Baby. The meetup attendees who knew of his translation brought their own works in hopes that Gessen would translate them.
During the evening, Gessen was asked many questions, one of which was his opinion on U.S.- Russia relations. Gessen replied that the aggression from Russia toward the U.S. is met by aggression from U.S. toward Russia. He believes that due to the stereotypes and preconceived notions that the countries have about each other, the situation is a moot point, in which the two countries will never truly understand one another.
Though Gessen enchanted the crowd with his opinions and stories, the meetup was not a mere lecture, but a lively discussion of interesting topics in which everyone was able to participate. The meeting lasted four hours, ending at eleven o’clock at night, and yet Gessen was able to leave the crowd begging for more.
Gessen is further the co-editor-in-chief of N+1, a magazine that is published twice a year, and addresses the issues of politics, culture and literature, with a circulation of 7,500. Our group members were very taken with Gessen and his magazine, and were especially curious about the intriguing algebraic name of the magazine. So, when asked what it means, Gessen revealed: Infinity. When pressed for further questions about the magazine, Gessen informed the group that upon graduation he and three of his colleagues were disheartened by the fact that they were limited in what they could write, and yearned to write about something different, something not typically addressed. That is when they decided chip-in $2,000 each and found N+1, including Russian immigration topics within the publication. After their first publication, the founders broke even, realizing the successful business model of their magazine. Within two years, N+1’s popularity has risen and they are receiving numerous invitations to various events including a magazine reading next Tuesday at The New School.
However, Gessen’s achievements do not stop there. He is also well-known for being a book critic and for his translation of Ludmilla Petrushevskaya’s outstanding novel, There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor’s Baby. The meetup attendees who knew of his translation brought their own works in hopes that Gessen would translate them.
During the evening, Gessen was asked many questions, one of which was his opinion on U.S.- Russia relations. Gessen replied that the aggression from Russia toward the U.S. is met by aggression from U.S. toward Russia. He believes that due to the stereotypes and preconceived notions that the countries have about each other, the situation is a moot point, in which the two countries will never truly understand one another.
Though Gessen enchanted the crowd with his opinions and stories, the meetup was not a mere lecture, but a lively discussion of interesting topics in which everyone was able to participate. The meeting lasted four hours, ending at eleven o’clock at night, and yet Gessen was able to leave the crowd begging for more.
Monday, November 02, 2009
In need of a proofreader- Desperately!
This past Thursday, October 26th 2009, we held our monthly NY Russian Speaking Journalists meetup in Russian Samovar, with the theme “Funny Media”. Victoria Belova, editor of Novoye Ruskoye Slova, and Ekaterina Bychkova, the newspaper’s journalist hosted the meetup. They organized a phenomenal presentation and kept the attendees rolling on the floor from laughter. http://picasaweb.google.com/via3pr/RussianSpeakingJournalistsMeetup#
Upon the guests’ arrival, everyone got a designer hat from the new Novoye Ruskoye Slova(NRS) line. Ekaterina and Victoria distributed hats that they made from NRS and each hat had a unique shape such as stars and lips.
Once all the quests arrived, they gave everyone clipped texts from newspapers to read and to find mistakes. The ladies then discussed grammatical mistakes that are made in journalism and especially in their newspaper. This was a very bold move on their part, for not everyone can admit such shameful mistakes and laugh about it. They also read excerpts from text advertisements in NRS. The texts were littered with beyond belief hilarious mistakes that make one wonder, “what were they thinking!”
The evening was followed by the Funniest Journalism Story Contest, in which everyone couldn’t wait to tell their story. Natalya Belaya won the contest, receiving the prestigious grand prize of a paint and brush from Home Depot to correct future typos and mistakes.
Another winner was Oleg Sulkin who’s got Novoye Ruskoye Slovo paper with a magnifying glass, subtly referring to their unreadable small print in articles. Vladimir Nuzov, a freelance writer was awarded a magnifying glass for future uses. Rashel Minevich has got an autographed copy of book “Roman S Samovarom.”
Toward the end of the evening, Roman Kaplan, owner of Russian Samovar, literature specialist and high critic came in to welcome the journalists. Being unaware of what was said earlier at the event, he said Novoye Ruskoye Slovo has become much more accurate and limited on their mistakes! Needless to say this statement elicited earth-shattering laughter from the audience.
Roman Kaplan treated the guests with Russian cuisine appetizers and the famous Russian Samovar house vodka. He then made a toast in my honor, singing praises of my intelligence, the passion which drives my work and great communications skills, making me blush to say the least.
This meetup was by far our funniest yet and certainly made the necessity of a good proofreader more evident than ever!
Join us for our next meetup with Michael Gutkin and Lydia Talai moderating next month (Thursday, December 3rd ).
Monday, October 26, 2009
Closed Showing: Channel One Russia Holds a Daring Event
October 20th leader of Russian TV networks, Channel One Russia (COR), held a discussion panel entitled Closed Showing, featuring all of the advertising agents and agencies which they work with. The event took place in a new trendy location in SOHO, New Museum.
Until recently, for four years COR partnered with Global Advertising Strategies for the placement of ads on their network. Now, they have raised their prices and ventured to work with numerous agents and agencies directly. This was certainly a smart move on their behalf, as COR is truly the most progressive and most highly rated among Russian TV and is now strategically expanding their presence in the world of advertising.
Although the commercial which they displayed advertising their network at the event was not reflective of their success, the infomercial they screened was outstanding. I was pleased to see that COR is staffed with mostly young professionals, indicating the progressive thinking of the network.
The panel was mediated by Alexander Gordon, who has his own show on COR, bearing the same name as the event. Gordon started his career on RTN in United States, and has by now become a well-known celebrity in the Russia.
The most interesting and shocking aspect of the event was that the panel consisted of two of COR executives on one side and three Advertising Directors from competing channels, NTV, RTVI and RTN, on the other side. What is even more shocking is that they all maintained their calm and didn’t beat each other over the head with clubs.
The discussion was however very intriguing, and the audience was far from shy. Some very “intelligent” questions were posed, especially by the owners of mid-size businesses: Tatyana Restaurant, St. Petersberg Book Store and Galina. The shrewd owners wanted to know why COR gives advertising agents 15% discounts on ad placement and does not do the same for the owners who, in their opinion, bring them a very significant amount of business. Hmm… aside from the fact that the agents bring them an exponential amount more of business, as Channel 1’s director replied, “Because they do the work.” When companies come to the channel for advertisement placement, then the network has to take the time to work with them, as opposed to agencies making all the necessary arrangements.
I was very pleased that CORwas very firm with the audience and defended their agents. They stand by the idea that they have the best quality programming, with the most elite viewership. Hence, they have the highest prices.
The event was nicely concluded with a cocktail party upstairs, with a phenomenal view from the balcony, where advertising agents and agencies were provided with plenty of alcohol to keep up their spirits and avoid World War III.
Until recently, for four years COR partnered with Global Advertising Strategies for the placement of ads on their network. Now, they have raised their prices and ventured to work with numerous agents and agencies directly. This was certainly a smart move on their behalf, as COR is truly the most progressive and most highly rated among Russian TV and is now strategically expanding their presence in the world of advertising.
Although the commercial which they displayed advertising their network at the event was not reflective of their success, the infomercial they screened was outstanding. I was pleased to see that COR is staffed with mostly young professionals, indicating the progressive thinking of the network.
The panel was mediated by Alexander Gordon, who has his own show on COR, bearing the same name as the event. Gordon started his career on RTN in United States, and has by now become a well-known celebrity in the Russia.
The most interesting and shocking aspect of the event was that the panel consisted of two of COR executives on one side and three Advertising Directors from competing channels, NTV, RTVI and RTN, on the other side. What is even more shocking is that they all maintained their calm and didn’t beat each other over the head with clubs.
The discussion was however very intriguing, and the audience was far from shy. Some very “intelligent” questions were posed, especially by the owners of mid-size businesses: Tatyana Restaurant, St. Petersberg Book Store and Galina. The shrewd owners wanted to know why COR gives advertising agents 15% discounts on ad placement and does not do the same for the owners who, in their opinion, bring them a very significant amount of business. Hmm… aside from the fact that the agents bring them an exponential amount more of business, as Channel 1’s director replied, “Because they do the work.” When companies come to the channel for advertisement placement, then the network has to take the time to work with them, as opposed to agencies making all the necessary arrangements.
I was very pleased that CORwas very firm with the audience and defended their agents. They stand by the idea that they have the best quality programming, with the most elite viewership. Hence, they have the highest prices.
The event was nicely concluded with a cocktail party upstairs, with a phenomenal view from the balcony, where advertising agents and agencies were provided with plenty of alcohol to keep up their spirits and avoid World War III.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Loving New York I Love You!
Having attended the red carpet movie premier of New York I Love You on Wednesday, October 13th, I was truly mesmerized by the stellar performances of the actors. A truly phenomenal film, filled with an even more phenomenal cast, including Natalie Portman, Ethan Hawk, Shia LaBeouf, Julie Kristie, among other renowned actors.
The movie is a collection of the great love stories that occur in New York City. Favorite story: the tale of an engaged orthodox Jewish woman, who one day befoe te wedding is fallling in love with an Indian man. Favorite scene: the close-up shot of Natalie Portman as her eyes light up with exuberant sensuality when her true love kisses her on the forehead as she removes her wig.
Though the wait in line to enter the premier was long and cold, the experience was truly heart-warming. The collection of the tales penetrates all the stone-hearted New Yorkers, reminding one of the beauty of love and the beauty of New York.
The premier was followed by an after party at Mansion, where we met with Emmanuel Benbihy, Writer and the main Producer of New York I Love You. Benbihy produced Paris, je t'aime in 2006 and informed us that on his list of “I love you” movies that he is planning to produce is "Rio, I love you," "Jerusalim. I love you" and may be Moscow, I love You. I regretted having to be the bearer of bad news, and inform Benbihy that this movie is already scheduled to be released in Russia in Spring 2010. Fortunately for Benbihy, there are many cities in the world to love.
The movie is a collection of the great love stories that occur in New York City. Favorite story: the tale of an engaged orthodox Jewish woman, who one day befoe te wedding is fallling in love with an Indian man. Favorite scene: the close-up shot of Natalie Portman as her eyes light up with exuberant sensuality when her true love kisses her on the forehead as she removes her wig.
Though the wait in line to enter the premier was long and cold, the experience was truly heart-warming. The collection of the tales penetrates all the stone-hearted New Yorkers, reminding one of the beauty of love and the beauty of New York.
The premier was followed by an after party at Mansion, where we met with Emmanuel Benbihy, Writer and the main Producer of New York I Love You. Benbihy produced Paris, je t'aime in 2006 and informed us that on his list of “I love you” movies that he is planning to produce is "Rio, I love you," "Jerusalim. I love you" and may be Moscow, I love You. I regretted having to be the bearer of bad news, and inform Benbihy that this movie is already scheduled to be released in Russia in Spring 2010. Fortunately for Benbihy, there are many cities in the world to love.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
NY Russian Speaking Journalists
Last Thursday September 24, 2009 the NY Russian Speaking Journalist group come together again for our monthly NY Russian Speaking Journalists meetup and this time we were privileged to gather at the UJA Federation of New York, a beautifully set up venue with a very professional and official atmosphere with more than forty people there. The UJA Federation’s mission is offer care for those in need, rescue those in harm’s way, and renew and strengthen the Jewish people in New York, in Israel, and around the world (http://www.ujafedny.org/).
We were honored to have Human Rights Leader Alexander Goldfarb who started his active work in the Soviet Union and was invited by well know journalist Vladimir Kozlovsky to the meetup to speak with us about his book “Death of a Dissident: The Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the Return of the KGB.” http://www.amazon.com/Death-Dissident-Poisoning-Alexander-Litvinenko/dp/1416551654
Marina Dayneko, Media Coordinator of the UJA Federation introduced Vladimir Kozlovsky who with a great sense of humor told us about how he had been mistaken as being Alexander Goldfarb after he let his beard grow when KGB was chasing Alexander Goldfarb who shaved his bear at this time. He then went on to ask the group if any of them had read the book where only one member raised her hand. Goldfarb introduced the contents of his novel, the details of the poisoning of former KGB agent, Alexander Litvinenko. He described his efforts to bring Litvinenko to safety as he defected and provided insight into the murder from his own perspective, and that of Litvinenko.
Goldfarb’s comments were followed by a lengthily discussion of politics, evoked by some of the journalists’ questions. His comments were applied not only to the Russian Federation, but to governments worldwide, as he asserted that governments never have a heart, nor understanding, only interests.
Though the leaders of the former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation have always been among the harshest in their treatment towards their people and officials, one begins to wonder: what implications does Litvinenko’s murder bear on the actions of our government, which refused to afford him refuge?
Towards the end of the conversation Goldfarb mentioned that after America and Russia have been trying to restore their ties and bridge the gap of their indifferences it is difficult to fight for Human Rights because everything is always about politics ever since the Cold War when if some Human Rights issue would come up you could immediately find American support and resources
We had a very interesting and intellectual night and my gratitude goes out to Lidia Wainberg, Head of Russian Division and Marina Dayneko, Media Coordinator of UJA Federation who offered their help in making the meetup a success. If you want to be part of this success feel free to join our meetup group and offer suggestions and ideas. Thanks to all those who are faithful and always make time to come out once a month to share with one another.
We would like to inform you that our next meetup will be on Thursday, October 29th. Since it is close to Halloween we would like to celebrate it. Viktoria Belova, Editor, Novoe Russkoe Slovo and Ekaterina Bychkova, reporter of the same paper have volunteered to organize it and will be dedicated to the best “typo” and “slip of the tongue” in media. If you’d like to participate in it please let us know so that we can out you on the list. For your convenience and stay informed about what is happening we have created a closed group for journalists only on Facebook, Russian Speaking Journalists or Журналсты, говорящие по русски.
We were honored to have Human Rights Leader Alexander Goldfarb who started his active work in the Soviet Union and was invited by well know journalist Vladimir Kozlovsky to the meetup to speak with us about his book “Death of a Dissident: The Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the Return of the KGB.” http://www.amazon.com/Death-Dissident-Poisoning-Alexander-Litvinenko/dp/1416551654
Marina Dayneko, Media Coordinator of the UJA Federation introduced Vladimir Kozlovsky who with a great sense of humor told us about how he had been mistaken as being Alexander Goldfarb after he let his beard grow when KGB was chasing Alexander Goldfarb who shaved his bear at this time. He then went on to ask the group if any of them had read the book where only one member raised her hand. Goldfarb introduced the contents of his novel, the details of the poisoning of former KGB agent, Alexander Litvinenko. He described his efforts to bring Litvinenko to safety as he defected and provided insight into the murder from his own perspective, and that of Litvinenko.
Goldfarb’s comments were followed by a lengthily discussion of politics, evoked by some of the journalists’ questions. His comments were applied not only to the Russian Federation, but to governments worldwide, as he asserted that governments never have a heart, nor understanding, only interests.
Though the leaders of the former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation have always been among the harshest in their treatment towards their people and officials, one begins to wonder: what implications does Litvinenko’s murder bear on the actions of our government, which refused to afford him refuge?
Towards the end of the conversation Goldfarb mentioned that after America and Russia have been trying to restore their ties and bridge the gap of their indifferences it is difficult to fight for Human Rights because everything is always about politics ever since the Cold War when if some Human Rights issue would come up you could immediately find American support and resources
We had a very interesting and intellectual night and my gratitude goes out to Lidia Wainberg, Head of Russian Division and Marina Dayneko, Media Coordinator of UJA Federation who offered their help in making the meetup a success. If you want to be part of this success feel free to join our meetup group and offer suggestions and ideas. Thanks to all those who are faithful and always make time to come out once a month to share with one another.
We would like to inform you that our next meetup will be on Thursday, October 29th. Since it is close to Halloween we would like to celebrate it. Viktoria Belova, Editor, Novoe Russkoe Slovo and Ekaterina Bychkova, reporter of the same paper have volunteered to organize it and will be dedicated to the best “typo” and “slip of the tongue” in media. If you’d like to participate in it please let us know so that we can out you on the list. For your convenience and stay informed about what is happening we have created a closed group for journalists only on Facebook, Russian Speaking Journalists or Журналсты, говорящие по русски.
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