Brief Encounters

  • March 5, 2016 / 19:00
  • March 11, 2016 / 18:00

Director: Kira Muratova
Cast: Vladimir Vysotskii, Kira Muratova, Nina Ruslanova, Elena Bazilskaya, Aleksei Glazyrin
Soviet Union, 1968, 96’, black & white
Russian with Turkish subtitles

For her astonishing debut feature, Kira Muratova cast herself as Valentina, the head of a regional housing office in a backwater Soviet-era town. For some time, Valentina has been carrying on an affair with Maxim, a free-spirited geologist who occasionally passes through town on prospecting missions. She hires a country girl, Nadya, as a housemaid, not knowing she had a relationship with Maxim during one trip. The lives, memories, and desires of these characters are woven together through Muratova's subtle and intricate montage, showing through flashbacks each woman's idealization of Maxim - played by Vladimir Vysotsky, a performer of anthemic underground songs hailed then as the "Russian Bob Dylan." Banned and shelved til glasnost, Brief Encounters rankled the censors with its freewheeling morals and tough look at everyday Soviet life. Muratova unflinchingly records the dismal housing conditions, lack of public facilities, and growing desperation of the young workers who have abandoned the countryside to try their luck in the city.

Brief Encounters

Brief Encounters

Passions

Passions

The Asthenic Syndrome

The Asthenic Syndrome

The Tuner

The Tuner

Three Stories

Three Stories

Chekhov's Motifs

Chekhov's Motifs

Cameria (Mihrimah Sultan)

Cameria (Mihrimah Sultan)

Based on similar examples by the European painters in various collections, this work is one of the portraits of Mihrimah Sultan, who was depicted rather often in the 16th century.

Five Unmissable Istanbul Paintings of Félix Ziem

Five Unmissable Istanbul Paintings of Félix Ziem

Félix Ziem is accepted as one of the well-known artists of the romantic landscape painting, and has been followed closely by art lovers and collectors of all periods since. He had a profound influence on generations of artists after him, and was the first artist whose works were acquired by the Louvre while he was still alive.

Mark Požlep

Mark Požlep

Our Cold Front from the Balkans exhibition focuses on different generations of artists and art groups from the Balkan region. Throughout the exhibition, we keep sharing detailed information about the artworks. Take a look at Mark Požlep’s “Stranger than Paradise” video installation. Also you can check our interview with the artist on our YouTube channel!