Raisa Sidenova "What is 'National' Style in Soviet Poetic Documentary Film?"

In the 1960s with the rise of film production in the Soviet republics, the question of ‘national’ cinematic style became prominent in both critical press and professional discussions.

Through exploring the poetics and politics of the so-called ‘poetic documentary’ movement in the republics of Latvia and Kirghizia, this paper will argue that the terms of the debates about the ‘national’ style are central for our understanding of cinema’s function in the balance of power among national republics within the Soviet Union.