New York Festival of Russian Film Director Discusses Audience Growth and Post-9/11 Challenges

Alexander Zhurbin, a composer based in New York, founded the New York Festival of Russian Film in 1999. The festival initially targeted the Russian-speaking community in the greater New York area, which he estimated at about one million people. These audiences, though ethnically diverse including Jewish, Armenian, Ukrainian, Uzbek, and Latvian backgrounds, share a deep connection to Russian culture through figures like Tchaikovsky and Dostoyevsky. The first edition took place in December 1999 at the Directors' Guild Cinema on 57th Street in Manhattan. Zhurbin operates with a small core staff of 92 people, supplemented by about 50 volunteers in the weeks leading up to the event. American attendance has grown from 20% in the first year to 40% by the third year, with Zhurbin aiming for a 50-50 split between Russian and American audiences. He believes there is a market for Russian cinema in the U.S., citing potential for middlebrow melodramas like "Barak" with sufficient advertising budgets. The festival presents the best films from the previous season, with screenings introduced by directors or actors. Despite the impact of September 11, 2001, which affected the festival's office located 200 yards from the World Trade Center, the event proceeded that year. Zhurbin noted financial losses but expressed hope for the future. He was interviewed in Moscow during the Filmmakers' Congress in November 2001.