A Russian Day For Night, director Gleb Panfilov’s delightfully wry movie about moviemaking—the opening night selection of the 1971 NYFF—stars the wonderful Inna Churikova (Panfilov’s future wife) as Pasha, a factory worker and amateur actress who  gets discovered by a Moscow film director and cast as the lead in a Joan of Arc bio-pic. Soon, Pasha’s newfound stardom makes waves in her messy personal life (including a hilarious affair with a hapless married zoologist) and reveals the true nature of many supposed friends. At the center of the film is Churikova’s luminous performance as a simple girl thrust into the spotlight and rising to the occasion. DEC 6

“It is a picture filled with small, delightful perceptions about people, the way of life in a provincial Russian factory town, and some amazing peeks at the bureaucracy in Russia’s film industry (which doesn’t seem so different from our own).” —NYFF9 program note

Screening organized in collaboration with Seagull Films. Print courtesy Lenfilm Studio Archive.