The Term (2014)

The Term (2014) documents the late stages of the largest civil uprising in the history of modern Russia, which unfolded in 2011-2012. Following the protests that took place after Putin’s re-election in March of 2012, the team of filmmakers put together by Aleksandr Rastorguev, Pavel Kostomarov, and journalist Aleksei Pivovarov, provides a multi-faceted and dynamic yet intimate portrayal of the Russian political opposition during this unprecedented moment of social upheaval.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Pavel Kostomarov, which will be conducted by film critic Anna Nieman.

Watch the trailer.

Speakers

Pavel Kostomarov is an award-winning cameraman and film director. He graduated from VGIK, Russia’s oldest state film school, with a degree in cinematography in 2002, and enjoyed a successful career as a cameraman before switching to making his own films. Many of his documentary films were shot in collaboration with Aleksandr Rastorguev, including Tender’s Heat. Wild, Wild Beach (2006); I Love You (2011); The Term (2014). Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kostomarov left Russia and now resides abroad.

Anna Nieman holds a degree in Film Studies from VGIK (State Institute of Cinematography), Moscow. She is a film critic, independent scholar, and content developer. Her interests span the late Soviet and post-Soviet narrative and documentary cinema with a particular focus on the representation of the disenfranchised and lower social strata characters. Anna founded and produced The Garage project (2009-2011) on mubi.com, which served as a curated international VOD platform for emerging and independent filmmakers. While working with Mubi Garage, Anna curated a collection of works by contemporary Russian documentary filmmakers: Kostomarov, Rastorguev, filmmakers of Albatross Studio, and others. Anna’s articles, reviews, and essays have been published in Art of Film (Iskusstvo kino), Film Studies Journal (Kinovedcheskie zapiski), mubi.com , kultpro.ru, KinoKultura.

This film screening is presented as part of The New Russian Documentary, which is inspired by the collected volume of the same title. The series presents a curated selection of essential films that challenge the status quo and offer rare insights into contemporary Russia. The full festival description and program can be found here.