Katyusha

Premiers résistants, seuls contre tous

May 1945. Victory. Triumph over Nazi Germany. And already, history is being rewritten. The story of a France liberated by its people, resistant at heart, united against oppression. In our memories, we see the faces of heroes: Gaullists and Communists. We forget the origins of the struggle. That of the very first men and women, left-wing, right-wing, communists, far-right, apolitical... who, individually and from June 17, 1940, said "no." A visceral and spontaneous "no" in a France that said "yes," rallying behind Pétain. A "no" from the heart and courage, fueled by the will to act in the name of freedom. They started from nothing, had to invent everything, risk their lives and those of their loved ones. They are the heroes, those who, in isolation, stood up at once and chose to disobey, whatever the cost, even to the point of self-sacrifice. Alone against all...

The Great Patriotic War

This communist history film recalls the heroism of Soviet soldiers fighting the Nazis in World War II. Forty of the 236 cameramen used for the feature were killed during their mission filming the Red Army.

Leningrad Symphony

August 1942: Amidst the unimaginable suffering inflicted during the blockade of Leningrad by the German Wehrmacht, an orchestra director was given an almost impossible task: to stage the premiere of Dimitri Shostakovitch's "Leningrad Symphony". The performance became a symbol of the brief triumph of culture over the barbarism of war.

Hitler & Stalin: Portrait of Hostility

A double portrait of two dictators who were thousands of miles apart but were constantly fixated on each other.

900 Days

The documentary focuses on the struggles of those who survived the long siege by German forces during World War II (from 8 September 1941 to 27 January 1944). The three million inhabitants of Leningrad (now renamed St Petersburg) suffered extremes of starvation and deprivation.

Leningrad. Stimmen einer belagerten Stadt

It was one of the great crimes of the Second World War: from 1941 to 1944, a total of 872 days, the siege and starvation of Leningrad by the German Wehrmacht on Hitler's orders lasted. Over a million people fell victim to the blockade, most of them dying of hunger. Countless of these starving people wrote diaries with the last of their strength, and cameramen filmed in the paralyzed city. Evidence from the hell of the siege, many of the film recordings, but above all the written memories on which this documentary on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation is based, remained under lock and key after the war. The voices of those who had suffered through this terrible time should not be heard by anyone, because they did not fit the pathos of the Leningrad heroic song that was officially sung. Most of the recordings come from women. The writers feared neither the enemy nor the Communist Party or Stalin, who often proved incompetent in providing for the population.

The Return of Ivan

Triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early spring of 2022, Ukrainian journalist and writer Ivan Avramov struggles to navigate his fluid identity and the shifting reality around him.

Den Pobedy: Victory Day

"Den Pobedy" (Victory Day) is counted among the most important celebrations for many former Soviet Republics. It is held on May 9 and commemorates the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). This day pays homage to the war veterans and to the over 26 million Soviets who lost their lives fighting this war. Kalinichenko Vasily Porfirievich fought in the Red Army on the 3rd Ukrainian Front and on the 1st Belarusian Front. As a member of the 226th Infantry Regiment he entered Berlin on April 22, 1945. This documentary explores the war, his life and his family story.

Secret Courage: The Walter Suskind Story

I Have Done Everything I Could

Autumn 1941. In a Nazi POW camp near Kyiev, a person claiming to be a doctor appears. He convinced Germans to set up a hospital. Raising no suspicions in Germans, he supplied prisoners with weapons and helped them to escape.

Blokada: Pulkovskiy meredian

Autumn 1941. German tank troops are making another attempt to break through to the Uritsk and Pulkovo Heights. During heavy fighting, Soviet troops managed to stop the offensive of fascist tanks one and a half kilometers south of the Pulkovo Observatory. The 900 days of the blockade and the incredible courage of the Soviet people were approaching ...

Antosha Rybkin

Before the attack on the village, captured by the Nazis, the commander decides to carry out a distraction — a concert of the front-line brigade of artists. Chef Antosha Rybkin is assigned to play the role of... a German corporal. Dressed in an enemy uniform, he gets to the rear of the enemy and helps his liberate the village.

The Girl from Leningrad

Set during the 1939–1940 Winter War, the film follows a group of young women from Leningrad who volunteer for service at the front. Working as nurses in hospitals and on the battlefield, they devote themselves to saving the lives of wounded soldiers, while also taking up arms alongside the men in combat. Through hardship and sacrifice, their courage forges bonds of friendship and love that endure amid the trials of war.

The Siege: Operation "Iskra"

"Iskra" is the codename for the plan of the operation of the Soviet troops to break the blockade of Leningrad. In January 1943, the blockade of Leningrad was broken. A corridor 8-11 km wide was formed between Lake Ladoga and the front line.

The Beginning of the Legend

The film tells about the childhood of Yuri Gagarin, about that time of life, which, in his own words, played an important role in shaping his character: war, the occupation of their villages by the Germans, famine, the theft of the elder brother and sister to Germany, the expulsion of the Nazis from Smolensk, moving family in the city of Gzhatsk.

For You at the Front!

From the start, Vertov made himself known as an irreconcilable enemy of “acted films,” which he regarded as a violation of truth. At the peak of World War II, however, such lofty artistic principles proved impractical. Vertov’s poetic and patriotic For You, Front! is a fiction film with a script and two actors. In a letter to her fiancé, a soldier on the front, Saule asks if there is anything he needs from “our beloved Kazakhstan.” Yes there is, he replies: lead, which can be used to make bullets to kill the enemies of “our beloved country.”

Mulan: Rise of a Warrior

When barbarian hordes threaten her homeland, the brave and cunning Mulan disguises herself as a male soldier to swell the ranks in her aging father's stead. The warrior's remarkable courage drives her through powerful battle scenes and brutal wartime strategy. Mulan loses dear friends to the enemy's blade as she rises to become one of her country's most valuable leaders — but can she win the war before her secret is exposed?

The Award

Boy brings his granddad's award badges for participation in World War 2 (The Great Patriotic War) to summer camp and finds out that during WW2 his granddad lost his award badge in the town, where the camp is located now, as his new friend's grandmother, who was a doctor in the same hospital during WW2...

Stronger Than Fire

The story begins on June 21, 1941, as German forces secretly assemble along the border of the Soviet Union. The film follows a group of young artillery officers who find themselves at the center of events from the very first hours of the war. After losing their weapons and escaping from German captivity, they take a stand against overwhelming enemy forces. The story continues through 1942–1943, where the main characters face even greater danger and increasingly dramatic trials.