April 9: Батальонъ/ Battalion (Russia, 2015)

Saturday, April 9, 1:00pm

UNC Charlotte Center City, Lecture Hall, Free parking tag (click to print)

Батальонъ/ Battalion

Director Dmitriy Meskhiev

Russia, 2015, 120 min

In Russian with English subtitles

Sponsors: Corner Work Production Company and the Russian Club at UNC Charlotte

Discussion and post-screening talk by Klaus Buchenau, Professor of Southeastern and Eastern European History at the University of Regensburg (Germany)

Guest­ speaker Irina Ugolnikova, СornerWork Production Company (Russia)

“Battalion” is a historical drama. A women’s “Death Battalion” is created in Petrograd under the orders of the Provisional Government in 1917. The unique fate of these women is woven into a fascinating dramatic picture, allowing viewers to put themselves into the character’s shoes and experience how difficult their choice to sacrifice their lives for the motherland was. The feats of the “Women’s Battalion” were disregarded in the Soviet era, but now viewers can learn the truth about those days and those people.

Reviews:

“ Dimitri Meshiev’s recent Battalion tells the saga of the 1st Russian Women’s Battalion. The idea behind the battalion was that the sight of women in the trenches would inspire Russia’s disillusioned and exhausted male soldiers» –Lynden Barber, CBS Movie News  

“…We learn from the opening titles that the “times were troubled, chaotic, and desperate.” Russia’s frontline soldiers after February 1917, the generals and Provisional Government leaders declare, are “blinded by notions of false freedom” and are no longer “interested in defending the motherland.” Alexander Kerensky (played by Marat Basharov) therefore decides to approve the formation of a women’s battalion to shame the men into fighting again.” –Stephen M.Norris, KinoKultura

Awards:

Portsmouth International Film festival – Best actress (Maria Aronova), 2015

Catalina  Film Festival – Best International Narrative feature Film, 2015

The Honolulu Film Awards – Best Director (Dmitriy Meskhiev), 2015

Social Media Links: Battalion on YouTube