Childhood in Cinema

Coming very soon! On Thursday, October 1 at 21:30, join us for the first screening in our “Childhood in Cinema”series — a collection of cinematic journeys in which filmmakers from different corners of the world venture into the territory of childhood.

This time, we’ll be watching François Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows” (“Les quatre cents coups”, 1959), one of the defining films of the French New Wave. It is a vivid and deeply affecting story of the young Antoine Doinel, filled with both humor and tragedy.

The film will be screened in French with Russian subtitles.

Truffaut won Best Director at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, while the film received the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 1960, “The 400 Blows” was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Throughout the series, we’ll explore the hazy, elusive territory of childhood — a unique experience that is half-forgotten, contradictory, and full of firsts. We often try to make our way back to it through the accumulated years, guided by the faint echoes of how those experiences remain with us in the present. Yet what we find is often either a dry narrative or a collection of vivid but disconnected images. If anything can come close to expressing the intensity and complexity of this extraordinary period — and perhaps offer us a key to understanding it — it is art.

A few small but important features of the series:

• A mini-seminar at every screening.
• An emphasis on discussion and sharing emotions and impressions.
• While focusing on the central theme of the series, we’ll also explore other ideas and motifs within each film.

What will we focus on during the discussions?

• We’ll examine the place the child occupies within each work and how each individual experience is portrayed.
• We’ll explore which aspects of life filmmakers choose to examine through a child’s perspective.
• We’ll look at the cinematic and expressive techniques used to convey a child’s perception of the world.

Come and watch great cinema on the big screen with quality sound, surrounded by like-minded people — and stay to discuss the film together in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

The session will be led by Danil Baryakshev, film enthusiast and creator of the channel So The Wind Won't Blow It All Away.