Bela (dir. Vladimir Barsky, 1927) is a film adaptation of a chapter from Lermontov’s A Hero of Our Time. It stands as a rare example of satirical drama, in which a classic literary plot is transformed into a powerful commentary on the social order of the 19th-century Caucasian military elite: slave trading, dynastic conflicts, looting, and “honor” as a guise for violence. The story of the abduction of a Circassian girl exposes the entanglement of violence, power, and personal gain, all masked by the language of duty and nobility.

The screening will be accompanied by live viola performed by Mikhail Alkhazov and a mixtape by David Pipia.

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