2001: The "Russian Ark" project of the State Hermitage and Alexander Sokurov

On 23 December 2001 the State Hermitage became the setting for the shooting in a unique manner of a feature film. It began at 1.50 p.m. at the Hermitage Theatre gate with a command from the director Alexander Sokurov. For ninety minutes the camera ran without stopping, moving from the modest rooms of Peter the Great, to the stage and auditorium of the Hermitage Theatre and on to the magnificent halls of the New and Small Hermitages, the Hanging Garden, the Apollo, St George (Large Throne) and Armorial Halls, the Malachite Room, the Nicholas Hall and many other state rooms of the Winter Palace, finally being switched off at the exit through the Jordan Entrance. This uninterrupted panorama of the Hermitage rooms presented three centuries of Russian history, from the foundation of St Petersburg to the present day.

The latest technology and high professionalism of those involved in the project combined to make possible the realization of Sokurov’s bold conception. Many of the museum staff, first and foremost the curators of collections, ensured a high standard of historical authenticity. An inestimable contribution to the artistic side of the project was made by the superb musicians of the Mariinsky Theatre who participated in the shoot together with their artistic director and chief conductor Valery Gergiev. The historical scenes featured members of the State Hermitage Orchestra, the St Petersburg Camerata. The project was realized by the Hermitage Bridge studio in conjunction with the Berlin-based company Egoli Tossel Film AG, with the participation of Fora-Film M (Moscow) and AST (St Petersburg) and the support of the Ministries of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany and ARTE television channel. The preparations and filming involved 800 actors, 75 musicians, over 1,000 dancers

The film had its premiere at the Cannes International Film Festival in May 2002. The Russian premiere opened the programme of the tenth festival of Russian film "A Window to Europe" in Vyborg on 9 August 2002.

Rehearsing the ball scene in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace
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Film director Alexander Sokurov and the actor Sergei Dreiden
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Film director Alexander Sokurov and director of photography Tilman Buttner at the shooting
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