Russian Jews: Film 1918-1948 (2017)

An extraordinary, creatively constructed trilogy of titanic scope, RUSSIAN JEWS charts the fascinating and complex history of Jews in Russia. Film 1 Before the Revolution spans shtetl life to the revolutionaries who later broke from tradition, and anti-Jewish violence and ensuing emigration. Film 2 1918-1948 examines Jewish participation in Soviet cultural and political circles, from Trotsky and Chagall, to writers, musicians and filmmakers. Film 3 After 1948 depicts the tumultuous lead-up to the fall of the Soviet Union and rise of state-sanctioned anti-Semitism, and eminent Jews in the arts, sciences and elsewhere, who thrived nonetheless. Narrated by acclaimed journalist Leonid Parfyonov, this illuminating study chronicles countless Jewish contributions to Russian society.