Alisa Freyndlikh

The whole world knows the immortal feat of the residents of besieged Leningrad, accomplished during the Great Patriotic War. The tragic story of the blockade, which lasted for nine hundred days and ended with the defeat of the fascists at the gates of the unconquered city, will forever remain in the history of humanity as the most vivid example of courage and patriotism.

The following guests take part in the music concert-documentary: Rosa Rymbaeva, Dmitry Pokrovsky folklore Ensemble, Elena Kamburova, Alla Pugacheva, Bulat Okudzhava and the Nergebi children's vocal ensemble from Georgia.

This poetic core in youngsters is also touched in Stanukina's less known Your very personal poetry (Свои, совсем особые стихи, 1982), a wonderful film about a poetry class. It is here that one recalls Kogan's admiration of Lyalya's emotional documentary skills. And it is here that one recalls Kosakovsky's depiction of Lyalya as a person of extraordinarily prosperous feelings, sensitive and energetic, childish and female, shrill and quiet. The young poets are marvellously sneaky, respectfully adoring and creatively playing with - maybe even deconstructing - "Aleksandr Sergeevich", Mr. Pushkin, Russia's exclusive trade mark of high culture and literature.

“You have to love people, really. If you don’t, you’ll get them trapped in the tram doors,” says the central figure Lyudmila. She takes the viewer on three of her shifts as a tram driver; she speaks frankly and tenderly about her profession and introduces her passengers. People, streets, light and mood change, and with them an image of Leningrad takes shape.

This is a story about how a family with many children moves into a new apartment in a newly constructed apartment building. The film “Moving Day” won a Silver Dragon Award at the 7th Krakow Film Festival. The jury’s decision stated: “For the warm and soulful relationship between the director and subjects of the film, expressed in a laconic form.”