OUR AFRICA: Thousands of Kilometers of Soviet Film

Film

by Alexander Markov

Details

Russia / 2012 / 20mins / Documentary / Russian

There are seven hundred documentary films catalogued under the keyword "Africa" in the Russian State Film and Photo Archive. In a certain sense, the relationship between the Soviet Union and Africa in the post-war period was one of pure cooperation. When the Soviet empire collapsed, however, Africa was completely forgotten.

About the Director

Alexander Markov

Alexander Markov was born in Leningrad, Russia (USSR) in 1973. He graduated from the St. Petersburg University of Culture and Arts (cinema and video directing department) and the Russian Institute of Art History’s Cinema History department. He also studied at Konrad Wolf University of Film & Television Art in Potsdam Babelsberg. In 2003 he translated three books of Wim Wenders’ articles, essays and interviews, from German to Russian, which were published in St. Petersburg under the title The Logic of Images. From 2003 to 2008 he wrote articles on cinema for scientific almanacs, Russian and German magazines, and various internet resources. Since 2005 he has been teaching directing and film history at the St. Petersburg University of Cinema and Television. Markov's films have participated and been awarded prizes at various international film festivals such as Berlinale Talents,, DocPoint, Sheffield Doc, Film Africa, Message To Man, New York African Film Festival, Artdocfest, Cinefest, Directors Lounge, Stalker, Temps De Images and others. Learn More