DESCRIPTION / MISSION 

    Seagull Films, formed in the summer of 1999, is the only programming and distribution company in North America that specializes in art cinema from the former Soviet region. Over the years, these countries have given the world such master filmmakers as Sergey Eiseinstein, Alexander Dovzhenko, Dziga Vertov, Andrey Tarkovsky, Sergey Paradjanov, Andrey Konchalovsky and Alexander Sokurov, the works of whom remain inspirational and influential.

    Despite the world-wide success of these filmmakers, distribution of there work in North America has been disproportionately sparse in comparison to Western Europe. Seagull Films's goal is to fill this gap by creating unique touring programs that function both as surveys of filmmaking of the Soviet and post-Soviet era and as an alternative mode of distribution. In addition to films by acknowledged masters, the programs celebrate artists less familiar to American audiences, whose legacy and aesthetic influence has taken on special importance today.

    Due to severe state censorship, many Soviet masterpieces have been shown in the West in re-edited versions that vastly differed from their authors' original versions. By contrast, Seagull Films consistently seeks out and showcases only original cuts of these works, and carries out the restoration and manufacture of brand-new, high quality prints for both aesthetic and historical reasons.

    It is with this purpose that we create unique and outstanding programs, among which are two landmark series co-presented with the Film Society of Lincoln Center: "Revolution in the Revolution: Soviet Cinema of the '60sí, 2000, which was hailed in the press as a "cinematic revelation"; and "Films From Along the Silk Road", 2003, which became unprecedented survey of films from the former Soviet Asian States.

    Foremost among Seagull Filmsís discoveries is the Russian fantasy-cinema master Alexander Ptushko. A 2001 showcase of his works, presented in new and restored 35mm prints, brought Seagull Films wide recognition within the film industry, landing DVD release for several of Ptushko's titles.

    Since its formation, Seagull Films has established strong professional affiliations with leading film institutions in Canada and the U.S.; among these are the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the American Cinematheque, Cinematheque Ontario, National Gallery of Arts, Arts Institute of Chicago, Museums of Fine Art in Boston, Pacific Cinematheque, BAM Cinematheque and others.

    Seagull Films also acts as a liaison and sales agent, promoting the work of innovative filmmakers from around the world by assisting them locate financing and international distribution. 


ALLA VERLOTSKY'S BIOGRAPHY

    Alla Verlotsky is the founder and president of Seagull Films, a company formed in the 1999 to provide high-quality programming and distribution for critically acclaimed films from the former Soviet Union.  In addition to her work at Seagull Films Ms. Verlotsky established herself as an independent film programmer and specializes in East European, Russian, Soviet and Jewish media.

    She holds a degree in Journalism from Moscow State University, as well as a degree in Film Studies from the Kiev State Institute of Cinematography. Prior to moving to the United States in 1991, Ms. Verlotsky was the Executive Director of the former Soviet Union Association of Independent Filmmakers, based in Moscow.

   In 1989, while still living in Russia, Ms. Verlotsky curated and produced a showcase of independent films from Kazakhstan, known as the Kazakh New Wave, and shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 1990. The series was a resounding success and became the first American showcase for this region's cinema. The "Kazakh New Wave" was a breakthrough that triggered worldwide interest in Kazakh cinema during the following decade. Upon the arrival in the United States in 1991, Ms. Verlotsky established herself as an independent film curator ( please see the curated projects list below ).

 She has also acted as an Associate Producer for Russian Ark, the latest film by the internationally acclaimed director, Alexander Sokurov.  

 

PROGRAMS CURATED BY MS. VERLOTSKY

- "Extraordinary Mr. Barnet" , BAM Cinematheque, December 2003.

- "Another Russia: Tribute to Lenfilm Studios", The Film Society of Lincoln Center, November 2003

-  8th Annual New York Jewish Sephardic Film Festival, National Center for Jewish History.  December 2003.

- "Films From Along the Silk Road", The Film Society of Lincoln Center, May 2003.

- "Landscapes of the Soul: Films by Alexander Dovzhenko," The Film Society of Lincoln Center, May 2002.

- "Fantastika: The Films of Russian Fantasy Maker Alexander Ptushko," touring exhibition, premiered at The American Cinematheque, May 2001.

- "Revolution in the Revolution: The Soviet 60's," The Film Society of Lincoln Center, November 2000.

- "Docfest," the first and second New York International Documentary Film Festivals, May 1998 and 1999.

- "The Cinema of Andrei Konchalovsky," The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Nov.1997

- Fifth and Sixth New York  Jewish Film Festivals, Collaborative project of  the Film Society of Lincoln Center  and The Jewish Museum, 1996, 1997.

- "A Dream, A Promise: Films of Glasnost Era," The Film Society of Lincoln Center, 1995.