Databases & Indexes (of Scholarly Literature) for Film Studies
Cinema: Slavic & Eurasian Film
This LibGuide recommends resources in both English and foreign languages. Browse the Historical Dictionaries for an overview of films in English or the online Encyclopedias for broader coverage of films, actors, directors, etc. Watch Russian & Soviet films on Mosfilm's and Lenfilm's YouTube channels or check films out from EGARC. Search film databases or browse journals for commentary about Russian & Soviet film.
Databases and Indexes for Film Studies
- FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database This link opens in a new windowIndexes 340 of the world's academic and popular film journals from 1972 to the present. It was created by the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) and includes the International Index to TV Periodicals, Treasures from the Film Archives which identifies silent film holdings in archives around the world, and the International Directory of Film/TV Documentation Collections.
- Film & television literature index with full text This link opens in a new windowFilm & Television Literature Index is an index to film and television literature that provides cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for more than 300 publications, and selected coverage of 300 more.
- Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new windowProvides indexing, abstracts, and selected full-text from many sources, covering film, theater, dance, stagecraft, television, and more. Full-text ranges from 1864 to the present.
- Screen Studies Collection This link opens in a new windowContains current publications of importance for the study of film scholarship, including indexes and filmographies: American Film Institute (AFI) Catalog, Film Index International (FII), and FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database.
To find a "Movie Review" published in a newspaper, search for the title of the movie and "movie review." For example, in The Global Newsstream database, enter: "lives of others" AND movie review.
Russian & Soviet Cinema
Watch Russian and Soviet Films
- Russian Film HubA platform for watching Russian and Soviet Film. Most films are available for free, but the site links to some content hosted by other sites, such as Amazon Prime.
- Classic Russian Films (from Mosfilm) on YouTubeFree online access to a large archive of excellent Russian films. Watch films from the days of the great film pioneer Sergei Eisenstein to the present era of popular directors, such as Alexei Balabanov and Karen Shakhnazarov. Includes subtitles. Search for films or browse by category (comedy, drama, adventure, war, and melodrama).
- Lenfilm Video on YouTubeFree online access to many Russian films by Lenfilm. Browse by genre or search by keyword.
- Soviet Movies OnlineHere you can purchase online access (starting at $5.00) to old Russian and East European classic movies in English or with English subtitles online in HD (720). Movies are available on your mobiles (iOS and Android) and tablets.
- KU Ermal Garinger Academic Resource Center (EGARC) CatalogSearch the EGARC Catalog for Russian films. Check out films from EGARC located in Wescoe Hall 4072.
Featured Film
White Sun of the Desert is the classic Russian-Soviet "western" with all the trappings you come to expect from Russian-Soviet film: indomitable Soviet hero, magnificent panoramas, peasant overtones, memorable music, beautiful women, subtle humor, penetrating irony, resonating taglines, and of course, inescapable tragedy. It is the best Soviet "cowboy" film ever made. Watch this film on Mosfilm's Youtube channel.
Chinese Cinema
South Asian Cinema
Encyclopedias & Bibliographies
Encyclopedias and Bibliographies of Russian and Soviet Cinema
Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema by ISBN: 9780810860728Publication Date: 2009Contains information about directors, actors, and other selected terms. Film details given under their respective directors. Includes bibliographies by time period.
- Russian and Soviet Cinema: BibliographyExtensive bibliography of Russo-Soviet cinema (1896 to the present). Produced by the University of Pittsburgh.
- Bibliography of Books in English on Russian-Soviet CinemaMost books listed should be in KU Libraries (check Library Catalog). Otherwise request through Interlibrary Loan.
- Pitt Slavic Film Collection - Online ListThe following films are located in the Media Resources Center at Hillman Library as part of the University of Pittsburgh's media collection. They are catalogued by letter, indicating type (BR= Blue Ray; D=Laserdisc, DVD=DVD; F/FL= Film; V= Video), followed by a four-digit number (e.g. V-2732).The collection of visual materials in Hillman Library is intended for research and teaching purposes only at the University of Pittsburgh. No materials are allowed to circulate and no materials are available through Interlibrary Loan. Under no circumstances are materials duplicated for use outside of the University of Pittsburgh.
Journals about Russian Cinema
Journals about Russian and Soviet Cinema
- KinoKultura (Online)In English. Online journal of Russian cinema (2003 - present) plus special issues dedicated to film from East Europe and Central Asia. Includes articles, reviews, videos, list of new films by year, and bibliography of books on REECA film (1999 - present).
- Early Russian Cinema, 1907-1918 [microform]: The Russian Cinematographic Press, 1907-1918Publication: Leiden: IDC Publishers, 2004-2006. Available for long term loan through the Center for Research Libraries (CRL). "The collection includes sophisticated, bimonthly periodicals as well as more popular weeklies released by the major Russian film studios. Containing, amongst others, interviews with movie stars and screenplays that are now irretrievably lost, these journals will prove an invaluable source of information for anyone interested in the silent movie era and Russia's entertainment industry at the eve of the Revolution." -- IDC Publishers website