Discuss “Russian Film Symposium hits Pittsburgh”

The annual Russian Film Symposium has arrived. Through Saturday, students interested in Russian history, film, and sociology will be able to see several Russian films daily at the Cathedral of Learning and in the evening at the Pittsburgh Filmmakers’ Melwood Screening Room. The films include classics of early Soviet cinema from the late 1920s and 1930s, and also several new films from 2005. The symposium’s theme this year is “White Russian, Black Russian: Race and Ethnicity in Russian Cinema.”

Recent years have seen racism on the rise in Russia. The Sova Center, a Russian think tank, reported 28 racially-motivated murders in 394 attacks across Russia in 2005. Neo-Nazi skinhead groups often claim responsibility for the attacks in Russia,...