SRF

28th July 2006

Dear All

Received from the Scotland Russia Forum.

Best wishes
Ute

EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL (http://www.edbookfest.co.uk)

Tue 15/8/2006 Time: 10:15 AM

Tom Bissell & Peter Hobbs

WAKE UP TO WORDS

Venue:HIGHLAND PARK SPIEGELTENT

Appearing: Tom Bissell, Peter Hobbs
Our morning short story series continues with two unusually talented
creators of compelling tales. Tom Bissell's "God Lives In St Petersburg"
is a remarkable and haunting collection set in Russia and Eastern Europe;
while Peter Hobbs, acclaimed for his beautiful debut novel The Short Day
Dying, shows himself a master of the short form too. Free coffee and
pastries. Sponsored by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

Wed 16/8/2006 Time: 12:30 PM

Rodric Braithwaite & Catherine Merridale

HISTORY: RUSSIA

Venue:PEPPERS THEATRE

Appearing: Rodric Braithwaite, Steven Gale, Catherine Merridale
Two leading experts on Russia examine the Red Army during the years of the
Second World War and the grim year of 1941 in Moscow. The fates and
suffering of ordinary people and soldiers come vividly to life in these
in-depth examinations, full of new insight.

Thu 17/8/2006 Time: 12:00 PM

Jon Lee Anderson & Askold Krushelnycky

NATIONS UNLIMITED

Venue:SCOTTISHPOWER STUDIO THEATRE

Appearing: Jon Lee Anderson, Askold Krushelnycky
Ukraine's Orange Revolution was a defining moment for Europe. Askold
Krushelnycky provides a remarkable, personal inside account. His fellow
acclaimed reporter Jon Lee Anderson returns to the Book Festival with
Guerillas, his classic account of groups seeking to enforce change not by
peaceful determination but by violence.

Fri 18/8/2006 Time: 8:30 PM

Hamid Ismailov

LITERATURE AND TRANSLATION

Venue:PEPPERS THEATRE

Appearing: Robert Chandler, Hamid Ismailov
Uzbekistan, its central Asian steppes and its little documented mixture of
ethnicities, inhabit the delightfully surreal storytelling of Hamid
Ismailov – who was forced to flee his homeland and was subsequently
recruited by the BBC. The Railway tells of transport, and changes, coming
to an isolated land. With the leading translator, Robert Chandler. A
BOOKCASE EVENT. In association with the British Centre for Literary
Translation

Wed 23/8/2006 Time: 12:00 PM

Lesley Chamberlain & Stefan Collini

MATTERS OF THE MIND

Venue:SCOTTISHPOWER STUDIO THEATRE

Appearing: Lesley Chamberlain, Stefan Collini
How do different nations react to their intellectuals? In Lenin's Russia,
they were shipped off into exile; in Britain we arguably just ignore them.
Lesley Chamberlain's enthralling The Philosophy Steamer tells of the
'dangerous' thinkers thrown out of the new Soviet state. Stefan Collini
studies the curious and neglected phenomenon of the British intellectual.

Sun 27/8/2006 Time: 7:30 PM

Petr Borkovec, Jerzy Jarniewicz & Gregor Podlogar

LITERATURE AND TRANSLATION

Venue:WRITER'S RETREAT

Appearing: Petr Borkovec, Jerzy Jarniewicz, Gregor Podlogar
A rare and special chance to hear three acclaimed poets from Eastern
Europe. Respectively from the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia, these
are outstanding literary figures who have been widely translated but who
have never before read in Scotland. Seize this unique opportunity.In
association with Literature Across Frontiers and the Scottish Poetry
Library

********

EDINBURGH FRINGE (http://www.edfringe.com/)

MUSIC

A Cossack on the Danube

Real historical background, a romantic story, rich national humour,
costumes, folk songs and dances. Enjoy the unique culture of the Ukraine.

venue: Greenside

group: Lviv National Opera House

Mazaika

Virtuoso duo, Igor (accordian/tenor) and Sarah (violin), spice up their
dazzling mix of Russian songs, Gypsy fiddling, Tangos, Operatic arias,
Jazz and evocative originals with a touch of comedy and drama. 'Stirring,
passionate and highly entertaining' ***** Three Weeks.

venue: C

group: Igor Outkine & Sarah Harrison

related link: www.first-theatre.com

Crime and Punishment

Dostoevsky's masterpiece presents a classic dilemma: is it possible for a
young, talented man to kill an old, disgusting pawn broker and be morally
absolved? Acclaimed Russian director Victor Sobchak's production fuses
physical and psychological theatre.

venue: C central

group: Act Provocateur International

www.actprovocateur.net

Netochka Nezvanova – Nameless Nobody

Award-winning Russian theatre's adaptation of Dostoyevsky's little-known
masterpiece. Netochka tells the story of her extraordinary stepfather – a
drinker, dreamer and gifted violinist, who exploited yet transformed her
and destroyed her mother in his descent into insanity.

venue: Smirnoff Baby Belly

group: Russkiye Notchi – Russian Nights

No Oranges for the Accordion

A hilarious summer comedy with dreamy accordion music and Russian folk
songs. Three desperate Ukrainians leave their home country for Vienna. In
a pathetic tavern, they perform the 'Odessa Revue'. A nightmare… But so
much fun!!!

venue: Greyfriars Kirk House

group: WinterWind

Past Half Remembered
A madcap journey through the epic sweep of Russian history. The Reds and
the Whites do battle, the Germans invade, tea is served from a samovar and
there is a very big wedding.
venue: Pleasance Courtyard
group: NIE (New International Encounter)
related link: www.nie.cz

ROSE
Martin Sherman's powerful account of one feisty Jewish womans journey from
Russia, through the Warsaw ghettos, to the Atlantic City boardwalks, the
Arizona canyons and Miami Beach, receives a stunning tour de force
performance from the wonderful Fiona York.
venue: ClubWEST at Edinburgh Theosophical Society
group: Fiona York

The Government Inspector

A sleepy Russian town! A pompous mayor! Suddenly… a rumour! The
Government Inspector's coming! Don't panic! Stylishly acted and inventive
new physical theatre adaptation of Gogol's rich and sparkling comedy.

venue: C

group: Greene Shoots Theatre

The Trial Moscow 1905: plottings to assassinate a Duke and overthrow
Tsarism. A man is murdered and two lovers torn apart in the battle to free
Russia. Terrorists, spies, the secret police. One of Albert Camus's
greatest works.

venue: C cubed

group: Cambridge University ADC

related link: www.cabaretofmenace.com, www.cuadc.org

Ketzal

Dazzling new theatre event from multi-award winning St. Petersburg troupe.
We enter the world naked and we leave it naked. In between is Life, the
body's beautiful, poisoned song.
'An epic journey made blisteringly human' Herald. 'Breathtaking…
unforgettable imagery' Scotsman.
venue: Aurora Nova at St Stephen's
group: Derevo
related link: http://www.auroranova.org

The Family – Semianyki
Join the craziest, funniest family you've ever seen! Children and adults
alike will be enthralled, delighted and suprised as one of the world's
greatest physical theatre companies turns the ancient art of clowning on
its head!
venue: Assembly at St George's West
group: Teatr Licedei
related link: http://www.passashok.com
Legendary St Petersburg clown company Licedei, which was founded by Slava
Polunine, will be performing at The Edinburgh Fringe for the first time in
twenty years with a whole new generation of performers.
The Family (Semianyki) paints a picture of a cartoon-like Russian family.
Their lives are a ceaseless power struggle between an alcoholic father
ever threatening to leave, a pregnant mother ever threatening to deliver,
and their gang of hyperactive offspring continually threatening acts of
violence on both parents as punishment for their faults.

OTHER

Moscow State Circus

The world famous Moscow State Circus triumphantly returns to Edinburgh,
bringing a huge cast of Russia's greatest and most flexible circus
performers. Packed with award-winning acts that push the boundaries of
human physical ingenuity to its limits.

venue: Meadows Theatre Big Tops

group: Moscow State Circus

category: Theatre

related link: www.moscowstatecircus.com

************

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL (http://www.eif.co.uk/)

Mazeppa, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Staged production sung in Russian with English supertitles
OPERA NATIONAL DE LYON
Tue 22 & Thu 24 August 7.15pm

Three Sisters, Anton Chekhov
KING'S THEATRE
Performed in English AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATRE

Tue 29 August – Sat 2 September 7.00pm
Matinees Thu 31 August & Sat 2 September 1.00pm

Long Life
THE HUB
Wed 23 August – Sat 2 September
7.30pm (except Tue 29 August)
THE NEW RIGA THEATRE
An extraordinary demonstration of virtuoso acting from this Latvian
company. There is no dialogue in this tender, absorbing and life affirming
play, which follows one day in the lives of elderly retired people living
in a communal block in Riga. In these elderly people's world, objects are
endowed with a soul; they communicate with each other through the material
things that have been their lifelong companions. The actors created
hundreds of sketches as the basis for this work and use as props objects
which belonged to real people and still carry their life story and soul.
'In the era of mass-production and stress the New Riga Theatre wants to
affirm humanism, vitality and emotions and search for the way back to
harmony and simplicity!' The New Riga Theatre

*********

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/)

Return of the Poet (Poeti Veradardze)

Harutyun Khachatryan / Armenia / 2006 / 35mm Colour / 82 min

Filmhouse

TUE 22 AUG 20:15

THU 24 AUG 15:00

Beautiful, hypnotic study of the lines uniting art, culture and history.
From the acclaimed maker of Documentarist (EIFF 2004).

On the surface, this is a tribute, from Armenia's most notable non-fiction
filmmaker, to its greatest poet, Ashugh Jivani. Yet at the same time, it's
a love letter to their country's rich heritage, and a critique of its
divided and uncertain present. Khachatryan's gifts as a creator of
memorable visual images, are seen in full flower here – some of the film's
compositions are worthy of Fellini. And while it makes its political
points elegantly, for those familiar with the culture, this grand, elegiac
documentary functions just as well for non-natives, thanks to its
magnificent rural landscapes, its stunning native music score (in
particular, Avet Terteryan's spine-tingling choral pieces), and above all,
its sense of a vanished world, frozen momentarily upon the screen, for our
contemplation

To Get to Heaven, First You Have to Die (Bihisht faqat baroi murdagon)

Djamshed Usmonov / Tajikistan & France / 2006 / 35mm Colour / 95 min

Maruf Pulodzoda, Dinara Droukarova, Khurched Golibekov

Cineworld, Fountain Park, Dundee Street, Edinburgh EH11 1AF

THU 24 AUG 17:30

FRI 25 AUG 21:45

Spare, masterful chamber-drama from … the new Left Bank?

At 19, Kamal has a problem: he can't satisfy his new wife in bed. A
journey to the city, to visit a specialist, yields little in the way of
answers and, frustrated, he decides to delay his return to his village,
paying a visit instead to one of his cousins, a sharp-talking playboy who
proposes 'fixing' Kamal via a trip to some local prostitutes. But the
country boy is a romantic at heart, and instead spends whole afternoons
loitering around bus stops, hoping in vain for a girl to turn him on.
Finally he meets Vera, a Russian factory lass, whose shy carnality seems
to do the trick. But her husband, a thuggish local gangster, has other
ideas. Shooting in long, elegantly constructed takes, Usmonov has created
a sly and provocative chamber-piece, sure to inspire debate.

Mr Pilipenko and his Submarine (Herr Pilipenko und sein U-Boot)

Jan Hinrik Drevs, René Harder / Germany / 2006 / Colour / 90 min

Filmhouse,

THU 17 AUG 17:30

SAT 19 AUG 17:00

One man, and a dream that would not be denied. Inspiring, really…

No wild-eyed visionary or savant, 53-year-old crane-driver Vladimir
Pilipenko has a simple, perfectly achievable ambition: to build his own,
working submersible craft. The fact that he lives in the Ukrainian Steppes
– in the middle of nowhere, in fact – is of no matter; nor is the fact
that he earns less than 40 dollars a month. His dream is calling. So Mr
Pilipenko sells some of his pigs, and brews up some more homemade vodka,
and slowly begins to amass capital – all the while, refining and
perfecting his design. But will the good ship Delfin sink? And, more
importantly, will it rise again afterward? There is no more charming
documentary this year than this delightful tale of one simple man's
not-so-simple dream, and his steadfast reluctance to accept conventional
wisdom. Mr Pilipenko is a titan in a world of dwarves.