UrBC, Yekaterinburg, September 9, 2016. Passage Cinema in Yekaterinburg is going to host the First Ural Open Festival of Russian Cinema. Russia’s cult directors and actors Vladimir Menshov, Sergei Solovjev, and Mikhail Efremov are bringing their best ‘invisible films’ to the local audience, Obshchestvo Malysheva 73’s press service reports.

‘Strange as it may seem, the Russian film industry keeps coming up with ‘invisible films’ that just don’t get shown anywhere, not because they are bad, but because the movie theaters need box office hits here and now. So these are the short-lived swashbuckler films, B-horror movies, and slapstick comedy that hit the mark. Few people believe these days that a motion picture can be clever, interesting, and nice. People are also not used to watching films about themselves and their lives any more. This festival aims to break this spell and prove that Russia can still produce good movies. We’ve chosen the best out of hundreds of ‘invisible films’ and invite everyone to a discussion,’ says the festival director Valeriy Kichin.

The jury panel is chaired by one of Russia’s most brilliant actors and directors Vladimir Menshov. The renowned film critic Elena Stishova, member of Honfleur Russian Film Festival directorate Elena Duffort, the well-known camera operator Sergei Astakhov, and director and screenwriter Alexei Fedorchenko will contribute to the panel’s work as well.