Vanished Empire

Fitil is a popular Soviet/Russian television satirical/comedy short film series which ran for about 500 episodes. Some of the episodes were aimed at children, and were called Фитилёк, Fitilyok, Little Fuse. Each issue contained from the few short segments: documentary, fictional and animated ones. Directed by various artists, including Leonid Gaidai who presented his famous trio of Nikulin, Vitsin and Morgunov into the cast. It was called in USSR as "the anecdotes from the Soviet government".

Ivan Mirosnikov, a cheeky young man in the Gorbachev era, is trying to figure out what to do with his life (he's not in college, and the 2-year mandatory military service is looming large ahead of him). Meanwhile, he lives with his divorced mother, and works as a courier at a Russian newspaper. Through his job, he meets patronizing Professor Kuznetzov and his rebellious daughter Katya. To annoy the professor, Ivan claims to have an affair with Katya. To his surprise, Katya backs his story up.

A music student is expelled from school because he loves jazz, a kind of music that represents the US capitalism. He hires two street musicians to form a dixie band, and goes from one city to another trying to gain fame.

Going on a business trip, the hero of the film suddenly finds himself in a fantastic city. It is very similar to our world, only the hidden absurdity of everyday life here has become apparent.

An adventurer rents out someone else's house by the sea to several women with children at once. So, the truth-loving salesman Antonina, the modest translator Sonya and the wife of Dr. Ira find themselves under the same roof. The vacation promises to be difficult, especially since the owner of the house suddenly appears.

A young romantic loves step dance but there is only one person who knows this forgotten art. Beglov was a step dance super star back in 50s but as step became unpopular he lost everything. He hates even this word - 'chechotka' (step dance). But somehow the young man convinces him to become his coach and manager.

Based on a novella by the well-known Soviet writer, Emmanuil Kazakevich "Two in the Steppe" and the war diaries of Konstantin Simonov. It's the summer of 1942, communications officer Ogarkov and private Dzhurabaev are fighting their way through the German encirclement. Finding themselves in difficult situations, they learn to trust one another, becoming true friends in the process.

In the summer of 1944, the Nazi Armies prepare a massive Tank Division named 'Viking" for the offensive on occupied Russian land. The Russian Army's special group of seven snipers named "Zvezda" is sent for a reconnaissance operation behind the enemy lines in the back of the Nazi Tank Division. Two previous Russian groups never came back. The seven Russians know that they are going to an almost certain Death for the sake of Victory.

Anna Pozdnyakova is already over 30 years old and, despite the fact that she is kind and pretty, she cannot find herself a man with whom she could find family happiness. Already it seems like a suitable candidate in the person of a prominent military man, Viktor, has taken a liking, but at first sight he falls in love with Anna's friend Raisa and marries her. Then Anya takes out a vacation at her own expense and goes south to Sochi.

This movie deals with two friends, 13-14 year old boys. One comes from a more or less stable home (although he is growing up with single mom) and another comes from a broken up family. One day the kids break into a store to pretty much have fun and get something to eat, short time after they get caught and one kid is sent to juvenile prison (14 year old) and another one is released to his being too young to be tried (13 years old). The younger kid feels bad about such decision, feels guilty and tries to help his friend in any way possible. While trying to help he is meeting a guy, who is ex-cop and now down-on-his-luck drunk(played by Priyomykhov himself)... the two become friends. In the finale, the ex-cop has to go one of the PTA meeting at school (his mother could not get away from work and knows nothing about the ex-cop) where suddenly his mother appears and meets the "father"...

Moscow, 1902. The famous director Konstantin Stanislavsky, in search of inspiration for staging a new play, decides to get acquainted with the life of the city "bottom". He turns to Vladimir Gilyarovsky, a recognized expert on the Moscow slums, for help.

Aleksey and Katerina separated twenty years ago. He left for the West, she stayed in the East. They will meet again in Switzerland under troubling circumstances.

Gordei Kabachkov, a professional con man, decided to pursue a career in science and was very successful. Having settled in a certain Institute of Ancient Culture, he easily wraps his finger around the numerous "kind men" - members of the academic council - and defends his thesis. Using his "talents" and the kindness of the staff of the Institute of Ancient Culture, Kabachkov makes a rapid take-off on the career ladder...

A lonely Russian man is trying to see his daughter, who lives with her mother far away in the USA.

WWII, 1945. After barely surviving a battle with a mysterious, ghostly-white German Tiger tank, Red Army Sergeant Ivan Naydenov becomes obsessed with its destruction.

There is no single truth in love. Each treads their own path. Which should take precedence – passion or duty? How do we choose? And who gets to judge? These are the eternal questions, remorselessly thrust upon us by life. Anna Karenina made her choice, leaving her son Sergei to grow up struggling to understand why his mother took such a tragic and terrible path, and Count Vronsky haunted by the memory of the woman for whose death he still blames himself 30 years later. In 1904, in the aftermath of one of the battles of the Russo-Japanese war, Sergei Karenin and Alexei Vronsky find themselves thrown together in a remote Manchurian village, where fate offers them a chance to return to the events long past and, finally, to find the answers both have long been seeking.