The first majorretrospective of Russian cinema is set to take place in Los Angeles from Apr17-24, featuring 100 years of film-making and more than 30 titles from theRussian archives comprising features, shorts, documentaries and animated films.

The event willbe presented by the Russian Federation's Ministry of Culture and is beingcoordinated by the Russian International Film Festival (RIFF), the Stas NaminCultural Centre, the American Film Institute (AFI) and Peter Hoffman'sdistribution company, Seven Arts Productions. The exhibition is expected toinaugurate an annual presentation of Russian cinema in Los Angeles.

Among the titleson show are: Sergey Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin, Lev Kuleshov's By The Law, Andrei Tarkovsky's Mirror and Vladimir Motyl's The WhiteSun Of The Desert.

'This exhibitionwill mark the first time that the great films that have thrilled and inspiredRussian audiences since the earliest days of cinema will be presented inAmerica within the context of a great film-making tradition,' Stas Namin,founder and president of the Stas Namin Cultural Centre, said in a statement. 'Byshowing these movies together in a single exhibition, students, film-makers,film industry leaders and cinema-lovers will discover the unique vision andartistry of Russian masters of moviemaking.'

'Russiancinema has had an enormous impact on film-makers worldwide,' the AFI'sdirector of festivals Christian Gaines added. 'This collection is a raretreat for film-lovers. AFI is thrilled to be playing a part in this filmfestival, which is part of AFIís expanding international programminginitiative.'