History of Saint-Petersburg: Presentation of a book, telling of the history of “Lenfilm”

The book of a famous Petersburg director, journalist, and historian of cinema Alexander Pozdnyakov “The Acanthus Leaves. History and Background of “Lenfilm”. 1914-2014” is published.

This is a story of historical roots of a film studio “Lenfilm”, which dates back to the Military-cinematic department of the Skobelev Committee, founded 100 years ago in Petersburg. The book first contains archival documents, proving the continuity of film department towards the Petrograd Cinema Committee, which gave birth to the first Russian film studio.

Specifying the date of birth of “Lenfilm”, the author offers a new way to look at the first steps of the national cinema, tells about pioneers of Petersburg cinema - Raoul Gunsburg, Alexander Drankov, Vladimir Romashkov. A significant part of the history of the study is assigned to the famous St. Petersburg theater and garden “Aquarium”, which is closely related to theater, music and cinema of our city.

It was here, in the theater "Aquarium", took place the first public film show in Russia. Here were the superstars of world opera, operetta, variety shows. Here were voices of Titta Ruffo, Lina Cavalieri and Fyodor Chaliapin. The "Aquarium" was attended by Tchaikovsky, Blok, Gorky, members of the imperial family. In Soviet times here were made great films by Joseph Heifetz, Gregory Kozintsev, Vladimir Vengerov, Ilya Averbakh, Alexei German. Here worked Dmitri Shostakovich, Nikolai Akimov, Veniamin Kaverin.

“The Acanthus Leaves” - the result of many years of research and cultural studies of Petersburg historian A. Pozdnyakov, initiated in the book "From “Aquarium” to “Lenfilm” (1996), numerous publications on the history of cinema, documentary and feature film “The Light in Hall” (2007) .

Film critic and director, who worked more than three decades in “Lenfilm”, the author of documentaries about the culture of Saint-Petersburg Alexander Pozdnyakov explores the little-known pages of the history of the theater “Aquarium” and the first steps of Russia's oldest film studio “Lenfilm”.

The richly illustrated book first includes a list of directors of film studios since its establishment to the present day, unique photographs, drawings and documents from the archives of Saint-Petersburg, private collections, press the turn of the XIX and the XX centuries. The book was published by the film studio “KinoMelnitsa” (project manager Olga Agrafenina).

The presentation of the book by A. Pozdnyakov “The Acanthus Leaves” will be held on December 5, 2014 at 16.00 in the renovated café “Lenfilm” (Kamennoostrovsky prospect 10, 2nd floor, entrance from the side of the building at the entrance to the courtyard between buildings 10 and 12).