The 3rd edition of Academia Rossica’s Russian Film Festival will host 10 UK premieres including Russia’s Oscar entry Ward No.6.

The premieres include five adaptations of classic Russian literature including Sergei Soloviev’s Anna Karenina, based on Leo Tolstoy’s iconic novel, and The Event by Andrei Eshpay adapted from the short story by Vladimir Nabokov.

Other films in the main programme include the award-winning Paper Soldier by Alexandr German Jr; Melody Of A Street Organ by Kira Muratova; the 1988 film Assa and its 2009 sequel Assa II by Sergei Soloviev, and Russia 88, a controversial feature on Neo-Nazis in Russia by Pavel Bardin.

The festival will also have a documentary, animation and Soviet Musicals section.

Other events include a roundtable discussion on new-generation Russian cinema, which will be held at BAFTA on October 31, and a debate on Russian documentaries and self-perception on November 6.

Special guests include directors Karen Shakhnazarov, Sergei Soloviev, Kira Muratova, Tatyana Drubich, and Pavel Bardin.

The festival will run on October 30 – November 8 at the Apollo Cinema in London’s West End.