Militarization of the Past in Russian Popular Historical Cinema 

5 AM New York l 11 AM Vienna

Egor Isaev, Egor Isaev, documentary filmmaker and  Blinken Open Society Archives Doctoral Fellow, will present his research on the topic of "Militarization of the Past in Russian Popular Historical Cinema." 

The research project explores the representations of the past in contemporary Russian popular cinema and TV series. It is set within the fields of media studies and public history, and aims to analyze images and narratives through which the Soviet and imperial pasts have been (re)constructed in Russian media culture.  

Currently, Russia is torn by chauvinism, separatism, nostalgia for empire, and an unexamined historical trauma. The country produces a large number of popular war films intended to reconcile society with its history and set a militaristic vector for the future. After experiencing dislocation during the 1980s and 1990s, post-Soviet society has tried to find a new identity, one that considers history as its foundation. This research sheds light on how Russian society is represented in the cinema of the late Putin era and how these representations are often rooted in the past. 

The study focuses on historical films made in 2008–2014 and 2014–2020 (known as the second and third parts of Putin’s era). Several types of sources are analyzed: popular films that rewrite the histories of World War Two, the Brezhnev era, and Admiral Kolchak and the White Army. 

Join via Zoom

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For more information, call 845-758-6822.

Time: 5:00 am – 7:00 am EST/GMT-5

Location: Online Event

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