Dmitry Bykov

In her quest to uncover the wrongdoings of the Russian authorities, Anna Politkovskaya inspired awe in some and fear in countless others. At age 48 she was assassinated for simply doing her job. This documentary is based on Anna's conversations with filmmaker Marina Goldovskaya, Anna's former university professor and personal friend. Shot over a period of 20 years, this exclusive footage creates an incredible story of a woman who consciously gave her life for her convictions.

An emergency occurred in the tenth grade of one of the city schools. Disrupting the peaceful flow of a literature lesson, former student Sasha Tsymbaly burst into the classroom and slapped Sonya Zhuravleva across the face. The stunned principal ran to call the police, while the students sat at their desks as if nothing had happened. No one stood up for their classmate's violated honor. What was going on? Could it be love?

Lev Nikolaevich, Levanka, Levochka, as his many friends call him, is a successful, glamorous, Moscow photographer. He's smart, good-natured. And he is an absolutely cynical person who can be rude to people. He lives in a world where talent, success and fame are valued above all else. At the same time, he is very childish, but does not realize this. The childhood fears are still inside him.

"Citizen poet. Run of the Year” is not a continuation of the satirical project of the same name, which became wildly popular in Russia in 2011-2012. And not even its result. This film is a memory of the most lively, powerful and interesting year in the political life of the country over the past 20 years. The film is a reflection on the reasons for the rapid awakening of the civic position of millions of people. The film is a message to our near future.

Who is the new Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, or Gogol waiting to be discovered by the English-speaking world? Hosted by actor, author, and activist Stephen Fry, focuses on six authors whose vibrant, idiosyncratic work continues to gain traction with a global audience: Dmitry Bykov, Mariam Petrosyan, Zakhar Prilepin, Anna Starobinets, Vladimir Sorokin, and Lyudmila Ultiskaya. With contributions from their literary critics, publishers, and peers, the film features extensive interviews with each author.