About Red Shift |
Festival Organizers
----------------------------------------------------
The Red Shift Festival is an annual event
dedicated to the work of Russian cinematographers and animators living
abroad. It is a collection of voices and perspectives that reflect a synthesis
of Russian cultural backgrounds and experiences gained from living in
the West. To showcase the diversity of contemporary cinema, the festival
offers a complementary mix of independent features, shorts, documentaries,
experimental films and animation.
In January of 2003, New York's growing community of Russian artists and
media-makers converged at the venerable Anthology Film Archives in Manhattan
for the first ever Red Shift Festival. By all accounts, this two-day extravaganza
of film, video, animation and digital media became a celebration of Russian
immigrant culture and contemporary cinema. It successfully accomplished
its ambitious aim - to carve out a uniquely Russian-American space within
the city's cultural avant-garde.
Organized by a group of Russian expatriates specializing in the fields
of media production and curating, RSF was an important cultural and cinematic
accomplishment. The programming and event-planning philosophy, aesthetically
rigorous and specialized while still democratic and sympathetic to emerging
artists, succeeded in creating an open forum for reflection and debate
on what it means to be a Russian in the West.
Russian achievements in the history of cinema are numerous, ranging from
Vertov and Eisenstein in the 20's to our contemporaries Tarkovsky and
Sokurov. RSF’s goals include raising awareness of this strong tradition
by offering an encounter with the best of old and new Russian artistic
tendencies. Another, long-term goal is to discover and promote new talent.
One year ago, Alexey Budovsky, a participant of RSF 2003, was a little-known
struggling animation artist. After his outstanding debut at RSF, he went
on to win the prize for Best Animation at the Florida Film Festival, as
well as the prestigious Best in Show of 2003 Award from ASIFA, an independent
animators' association.
In terms of turnout, RSF 2003 was an extraordinary success. The sold-out
venue received excellent reviews and detailed coverage from all of the
Russian media outlets in New York and abroad, as well as from major local
newspapers, journals and television. The event drew over 1000 attendees,
and many more had to be turned away. A lot of non-Russians came and contributed
to the diversity of the debates and discussions that the screenings provoked.
Leveraging a surplus of enthusiasm, while balancing a sensitivity to the
interests and needs of young film makers and animators, the festival organizers
strive to create a stable, visible "base" for introducing new
artists to the New York scene. Planning for the next installment of Red
Shift is well under way. 2004 will see the festival build on its high-profile
debut – it will expand and deepen the scope of programming and special
events. And of course there will be more parties!
Go to Festival Organizers