This collection surveys recent developments in Russian cinema and introduces undergraduate students to significant films released between 2005 and 2016 that are also available with English subtitles. Essays on individual films provide background on directors’ careers, detailed analyses of selected films, along with suggestions for further readings both in English and Russian.

Rimgaila Salys is Professor Emerita of Russian Program at the University of Colorado Boulder and an expert in twentieth century Russian literature, film, and culture.

“The Contemporary Russian Cinema Reader makes a solid argument for the study of Russian cinema beyond the context of Russian politics, described as an obsession with Putin in the introduction. Instead, cinema is treated as an integral and important part of Russian culture and society, as a medium for multi-layered and complex narratives, and mediating the contemporary experience of globalism. Lecturers in Slavic/Russian studies of film and/or culture, as well as in courses of global film and/or culture, will find material for their curriculum and class discussions in the volume, while students will get a comprehensive and insightful introduction to various aspects of contemporary Russian cinema. Naturally, any reader interested in contemporary Russian cinema and culture will no doubt find The Contemporary Russian Cinema Reader enjoyable.”

—Åsne Ø. Høgetveit, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Apparatus: Film, Media and Digital Cultures in Central and Eastern Europe

“The editor’s parameters for this collection are that it ‘seeks to provide undergraduate students [in Russian cinema and culture courses] with an introduction to significant Russian films that are available with English subtitles.’ … Some of the chapters address films that are now well-trodden artifacts in contemporary film literature. These writings include informed and detailed synopses of the films, and offer perceptive discussions of their historical and production contexts. This is, of course, essential in a text ostensibly aimed at the uninitiated. … the book under review is a useful, readable and often incisive, reference guide to recent ‘Russian’ cinema.”

—Steven A. Usitalo, Northern State University, Slavonic and East European Review

“All the films covered in the volume are discussed competently and with expert knowledge. The chapters follow a template with a general introduction and contextualization, a close reading, and some critical context. … Overall, this is a welcome addition to a range of publications on contemporary cinema. The individual entries are all very competent, and attention has been paid to cater for a student audience through consistent contextual information.” —Sofya Khagi, University of Michigan, Russian Review