The Box Office is open from 15:50 till 21:30 (closed for today).

Pioneer Heroes Pionery-geroi

Natalija Kudrjašova / Russia / 2015 / 116 min

Veliky Novgorod, 1987. Olga makes a stand against her teacher’s authoritarian teaching methods, Andrey is propagating an ‘anti-death pill’ in a jam jar and Katya observes her father distilling booze illegally behind closed doors. These three young schoolmates are all members of the ‘Vladimir Illyich Lenin’ Young Pioneer organisation and are full of childlike visions of the future. Over twenty-five years on, all three have now established themselves professionally in Moscow. Olga suffers from panic attacks, Andrey tries to fill his inner void with computer games, and Katya is pursued by unsettling dreams. It is clear that they have not really found their bearings in present day Russia. 

A portrait of the last generation of former Soviet Union pioneers vainly seeking for their place under the Sun in the stark capitalist reality. A poetic and satirical take on contemporary Russian existence.

"Our picture is not nostalgic at all. It is basically about the difficulty to accept real values, real ideas as a child and later as a grown-up how to deal with the reality with no ideas at all. During our childhood, we were taught to do something useful and to be real, like good human beings and now in Russia, and not only there, it is difficult to fulfil that promise and it is difficult to live like that." (Natalya Kudryashova)

Natalya Kudryashova
Born in Gorki – now Nizhny Novgorod – in the Soviet Union in 1978, she studied acting at the Nizhegorodsky Theatre School before taking a directing course with Anatoly Vasiliev at the School of Dramatic Art in Moscow. Since 2001 she has appeared as an actress in numerous theatre productions. In 2010 she received nomination for Best Actress Award at the Golden Mask Theatre Festival. Pioneer Heroes is her first feature film.

filmography
2011 Kholod (The Freeze) (short)
2012 Utro Lizi (Liza’s Morning) (short)
2015 Pionery-geroi (Pioneer Heroes)

Kinodvor. Newsletter.

Join our mailing list and receive details of upcoming films and events!

What's On

Memoir of a Snail Memoir of a Snail

Adam Elliot

Sunday, 03. 08. 2025 / 21:30 / Main Hall

Bittersweet memories of a melancholy outcast seeking happiness in the clutter of everyday life. The animated tragicomedy for adult audiences has received an Oscar nomination, as well as numerous awards at major international festivals.

Film Under the Stars / Replacement Screening

Wisdom of Happiness Wisdom of Happiness

Barbara Miller, Philip Delaquis

Monday, 04. 08. 2025 / 17:30 / Main Hall

With disarming wit, the Dalai Lama reflects on balancing millennia-old Tibetan Buddhist traditions with the contemporary values of our globalised society that now struggles to overcome violence and war while standing on the brink of environmental collapse. In this intimate heart-to-heart, the nearly 90-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate and the world’s greatest ambassador for compassion brings a timely message of hope. Wisdom of Happiness blends the Dalai Lama’s inspirational words with stirring images of our planet and newly unearthed archival footage.

Additional Screening

A Real Pain A Real Pain

Jesse Eisenberg

Tuesday, 05. 08. 2025 / 19:00 / Main Hall

Two estranged cousins join a guided tour of Poland to pay tribute to their beloved grandmother. Oscar for the Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for Best Original Screenplay.