Masters of Russian Animation Volume 1: Film Film Film by Fyodor Khitruk (20min) Girlfriend by Yelena Gavrilko (10 min) Hunt by Eduard Nazarov (10 min) Ballerina on the Boat by Lev Atamanov (17 min) Masters of Russian Animation Volume 2: Island by Fyodor Khitruk (9. 30 min) Singing Teacher by Anatoly Petrov. (3 min) Last Hunt by Valentine Karavayev (10 min) Old Stair by Alexander Gorlenko (7 min) Liberated Don Quixote by Vadim Kurchevsky (18 min) Masters of Russian Animation Volume 3: Contact by Vladimir Tarasov (10 min) Travels of an Ant by Eduard Nazarov (10 min) Cat & Company by Alexander Guriev (10 min) Tale of Tales by Yuri Norstein.

Following the artistic revolution created at Soyuzmultfilm by Fyodor Khitruk, a new school of Russian animation directors emerged. Among them was Khrjanovsky - an intellectual and connoisseur of world art, utterly ireverent of the animation industry's previous artistic and literary constraints. His films are rich in symbolism and characterized by artistic integrity and fresh dramatic structure. Khrjanovsky was the first animation director to work with Schnittke, one of contemporary Russia's most important composers. Schnittke supported himself for more than a decade writing scores for feature films. He also composed the music for more than half of Khrjanovsky's films. Some of their unique collaborations are represented here, as well as two films made by Khrjanovsky but scored by other composers, and “Ballerina on a Boat,” the masterful animated ballet Schnittke scored for the legendary Lev Atamanov. Includes: THERE LIVED KOZYAVIN (1966) Directorial debut of Khrjanovsky. Music by G. Lukianov. [+]

YURI NORSTEIN is universally considered the most remarkable director to emerge from the current generation of Russian animators. Although his body of completed work is less than 80 minutes in length, its impact has been so profound that he is regularly ranked one of the world's greatest contemporary directors. Most of his films were made by the same small team, his wife the artist Francesca Yarbusova, his cameraman the late Alexander Zhukovsky, and the late composer M. Meyerovich. All of the films included in this edition of the Norstein Collection were digitally re-mastered from new 35mm prints under the supervision of Zhukovsky, to whom it is dedicated. Films included in the video: TALE OF TALES, HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG, HERON AND CRANE, FOX AND RABBIT, BATTLE OF KERJENETS (co-directed with I. Ivanov-Vano) and 25th-First Day.