Between Nice and Russia, it’s a very long history of friendship dating back to the Belle Époque when the imperial family and the Russian aristocracy would spend their winters on the Riviera.
This festival is now in its third edition. Quite naturally, when this event was created, the ambassador of the Russian Federation in France chose the capital of the French Riviera, and thus Nice can boast of hosting a prestigious event.
In this year 2015, the theme of this third edition is easily recognizable: the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The films will pay tribute to the heroes of this war of liberation.
Films, animations, and tributes, including a poignant evocation of the Normandie-Niemen squadron of Commander Delfino, a native of Nice. The schedule will appeal to both young and old. A significant moment in cinema with “The Murderers Are Coming,” a film censored during the Soviet era. The screenplay is based on a play by Bertolt Brecht.
Another major moment will be “Battle for Sevastopol,” whose heroine Ludmila Pavlichenko, a sniper in the Soviet army, famously stated in Chicago, “I am 25 years old and I have already killed 309 Nazis. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you have been hiding behind my back for too long?”
The closing ceremony will feature “The Dawns Here Are Quiet,” the story of a group of Soviet soldiers in Karelia, isolated, left to their own devices, and having to face an intrusion by Nazi commandos. This is just a brief glimpse of the programming.
To better understand Russian sentiments towards us, we conclude with a comment made by one of the speakers at the press conference: “Russians have always felt at home in Nice.” A way of proving their love for our Riviera, and Nice in particular. This festival is their way of thanking us for such a long friendship.
Thierry Jan
