In early December, students in Prof. DeBlasio’s course, “Russian Cinema of the Putin Era,” held a three-day Russian Film festival. As part of their coursework, students have been working since late October to plan every aspect of the festival, from choosing the films to preparing promotional materials. Screenings were held on the evenings of Dec. 1, 2, and 3. Each screening was accompanied by a scholarly introduction and then post-viewing discussion. The discussion was especially lively after the film Jolly Fellows (2009), which is one of small number of Russian films to feature openly gay characters and which is the only Russian film about drag performers. The event was generously sponsored by the Russian Department and the Film Studies program, which provided popcorn and traditional Russian candy for the event.
