Q: WHERE DOES THE FILM FESTIVAL TAKE PLACE THIS YEAR?
A: This year the festival will be online. This year the festival will be online. Opening events will take place on March 19 at Anthology Film Archives in Manhattan.

Screenings will be held through the online platform, Online Theater, during the festival dates.

Q: HOW AND WHERE CAN I BUY TICKETS?
A: Each movie will be screened one day during the festival’s program. Please read the synopses and make your selection. By clicking “Pay and Watch” you will be redirected to the screening page of the film on our online cinema website.

There you will see a field for entering an email and a button “PAY NOW by PayPal”

Insert a valid email address in the field ‘Email’ and press the “PAY NOW by PayPal” button to pay for the screening according to the instructions. The PayPal system has its own instructions on how to pay.

Then you will receive a code to the email box that you had entered in the field. (If you do not receive the email with the code, please check your Spam folder).

On the day of the film screening, according to the schedule, insert your code into the upper empty field and press the ‘WATCH the Movie’ button. The movie will start downloading. Press the small arrow button (“play” button) on the left edge of a black movie screen.

Watch the movie. Please remember: you cannot pause the screening; each code is valid for one viewing of the film you chose (mimic a ticket for screening at a physical theater: you cannot stop the screening and come back later – the “door” would be closed). If you would like to watch the movie again you will have to buy a new ticket.

How quickly the film downloads will depend on your internet server. Also, please make sure to enter your code to watch the movie before 1:00 AM Eastern Time.

Q: WHAT IS THE ONLINE THEATER?
A: We work with contemporary documentary filmmakers from across the post-Soviet bloc and the USA. The films presented at the festival share a unique approach in their themes and styles, taking aim at some of the most important social problems of the modern world.

This online modernization of the festival gives participants a chance to show their work, otherwise only known to local national audiences, to viewers across the globe. All devotees of non-fiction cinema and festival viewers will have the opportunity to select the winner of the special VIEWERS’ CHOICE AWARD.

The films in the festival program will be shown online on the official website in a closed format (a one-time view accessible solely via registration/ticket purchase with a password provided by the festival website according to the film schedule.) The Online Theater is governed by the same rules as a real-life theater: there will be one film screening per audience member; the film is protected by a one-time use password to be given to an individual ticket holder. We will utilize the most up-to-date platform to ensure that each viewer has an optimal experience. The films will be shown online adhering to a schedule that will be released in early October. We will use our own online platform for screenings; all films will be secured from illegal downloading. The online program is scheduled according to Eastern Daylight Time. Each film will be screened once during the festival week (see the Program page for the full schedule) – and there will be one screening for one ticket. As soon as a screening starts your password will be terminated. To start another screening you must purchase another ticket. (If an interruption is our fault then we will help you to complete the viewing or compensate you the price of your ticket).

Q: IN WHAT LANGUAGE ARE THE FESTIVAL MOVIES SHOWN?
А: All films have English subtitles and are screened in their original language.

Q: HOW CAN I GET A JOURNALIST ACCREDITATION?
A: Press accreditation is issued only to those journalists who cover the work of the Festival before or during the week. To apply for accreditation please contact the Festival’s Organizing Committee at: rusdocfilmfest@gmail.com.

Q: DO YOU PLAN TO HOLD OPENING OR CLOSING CEREMONIES IN MANHATTAN?
A: The festival will take place in the Online Theater. The Opening event includes a screening of two documentary films from the festival program and Q&A. The Closing event will take place at SVA MFA, School of Visual Arts, in Manhattan.

Q: MY DOCUMENTARY FILM HAS NOT BEEN ACCEPTED. WHY?
A: All criteria for the selection of festival participants can be found in our Rules and Regulations.

Q: WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO START ORGANIZING THE NEXT FESTIVAL?
A: Please email us for the most latest info at rusdocfilmfest@gmail.com or contact us on our Facebook page.