Anna Melikyan's film 'Rusalka' analyzed in ARTMargins roundtable on Russian advertising and fairy tales
The 2007 film 'Rusalka,' directed by Anna Melikyan, represented Russia in the race for the Foreign Language Oscar in 2009. The narrative revolves around Alisa, a girl from the Black Sea who relocates to Moscow, acquires magical powers, and develops feelings for Alexander, an advertising professional. 'Rusalka' earned accolades, including the World Cinema Directing Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and the FIPRESCI Critics' Prize at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival, although it did not secure a spot on the Oscar shortlist. Co-written by Melikyan and Natalia Nazarova, the film juxtaposes vibrant Black Sea imagery with muted scenes of Moscow, accompanied by a score from Igor Vdovin. A roundtable discussion in ARTMargins explored its commentary on gender stereotypes and advertising in post-Soviet Russia, connecting it to Andersen's 'Little Mermaid.'
Key facts
- Anna Melikyan directed 'Rusalka' in 2007
- The film was Russia's 2009 Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film
- 'Rusalka' won the World Cinema Directing Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
- The film received the FIPRESCI Critics' Prize at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival
- Melikyan co-wrote the screenplay with Natalia Nazarova
- Igor Vdovin composed the film's soundtrack
- The film adapts Hans Christian Andersen's 'Little Mermaid' to contemporary Moscow
- ARTMargins published a roundtable discussion analyzing the film on February 5, 2009
Entities
Artists
- Anna Melikyan
- Natalia Nazarova
- Igor Vdovin
- Renata Litvinova
- Aleksey German Jr.
- Tom Tykwer
- Krzysztof Piesiewicz
- Krzysztof Kieślowski
- Cate Blanchett
- Giovanni Ribisi
- Andrey Zvyagintsev
- Marlen Khutsiev
- Natascha Drubek-Meyer
- Matthias Meindl
- Svetlana Sirotinina
- Christine Goelz
- Henrike Schmidt
- Bettina Lange
- Hans Christian Andersen
- Andrei Tarkovsky
- Aleksandr Kasatkin
Institutions
- ARTMargins Online
- Free University Berlin
- Sundance Film Festival
- Berlin International Film Festival
- Academy Awards
- Central Partnership
- New York Sun
- Variety
Locations
- Russia
- Moscow
- Black Sea
- Anapa
- Krasnodar region
- Sofia
- Bulgaria
- Prague
- Czech Republic
- Berlin
- Germany
- Italy
- Utah
- United States