The Presidential Library to host events dedicated to the feat of defenders and residents of Leningrad

On January 26, 2023 at 15:00 the Presidential Library will host events marking the 80th anniversary of breaking of a blockade of Leningrad and the Day of the complete liberation of the city from Nazi siege.

The press conference, which will be held at Senate Square, 3 will focus on the creation of new films by filmmakers from St. Petersburg marking the defence and liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi siege.

The event will begin with a speech by Vsevolod Vasilyevich Vorobyov, a resident of besieged Leningrad, who will read his poems.

People's Artist of Russia Nikolai Burov, Honored Artist of Russia Vladimir Litvinov, writer and screenwriter Dmitry Karalis, director Pavel Gladunov as well as writer Andrei Bogdanov will attend the press conference.

The script for a new feature film by Dmitry Karalis "Blood of the Siege" will be presented. A documentary with the same title was filmed by Dmitry Nikolayevich in 2017. A new documentary “Equal to Bread” will also be presented.

On the same day, documentaries filmed with the support of the Hrachya Poghosyan Charitable Foundation will be shown.

The film "Train to Eternity" tells about the terrible tragedy that occurred on October 14, 1941 at the railway station of the city of Tikhvin. More than 2,000 people - wounded Red Army soldiers, women and children evacuated from Leningrad - died that day. They seemed to be already far from the war, famine and the horrors of the siege: there were only a few kilometers to the mainland. But a massive raid of Nazi aviation began. For several hours, the enemy mercilessly dropped high-explosive and incendiary bombs on defenсeless people. Ammunition trains and fuel tanks exploded. A severe fire started... The exact number of deaths at the Tikhvin station is still unknown.

In 2016, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the tragedy, a monument to Leningrad children who died during the evacuation in October 1941 was erected on the Tikhvin station square. It depicts a mourning woman against the backdrop of a burning train station, and nearby, on the rails, a fallen children's toy - a teddy bear...

The film "Train to Eternity" was the first address of filmmakers to the events associated with the bombing of Tikhvin. According to film director, Pavel Gladunov, the idea of the film is that "people, after watching such a film, seeing these shots, overestimate something in their lives".

Another film by Pavel Gladunov, which will be shown at the Presidential Library’s cinema club meeting is “In Memory of the Heroic Defenders of Sukho Island”. The creation of the film is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the heroic defence of a small island north of Novaya Ladoga, where the base of the Ladoga military flotilla was located during the war. On October 22, 1942 the garrison of the island took the battle with the enemy squadron and won.

The films “Train to Eternity” and “In Memory of the Heroic Defenders of Sukho Island” were created on the initiative and at the expense of the honorary patron of St. Petersburg Grachya Pogosyan. Over the years of charitable work, he managed to implement more than 300 projects aimed at preserving the historical heritage and passing on memory to the next generations. Half of these projects are devoted to the events of the Great Patriotic War. Including - the installation of a monument to Leningrad children in the city of Tikhvin.

Hrachya Poghosyan, as well as a film crew led by film director Pavel Gladunov, will attend the event. Any of the participants and guests will be able to ask them questions.

15 books telling about the courage of Leningrad residents and the defenders of the city will enter the Presidential Library from the Pogosyan Charitable Foundation.

The press conference and film screenings will be broadcast live on the Presidential Library’s portal in Live Broadcasts section, RuTube-channel of the institution, as well as the official page and the Presidential Library’s cinema club group on the VKontakte social network.

The press conference and film screenings will take place at the Presidential Library at Senate Square, 3. Please confirm your personal presence by 12:00 January 24 by phone +7 921 594-16-13 or by e-mail: smolina@prlib.ru, Elena Smolina.

Accreditation of media representatives is until 12:00 January 25, 2023.

Please forward applications for accreditation until 12:00 August 29, 2022 following the attached form marked “Media Accreditation” to media@prlib.ru, pechnikova@prlib.ru, Tatyana Pechnikova, tel. (812) 305-16-21, ext. 534; mob. +7 921 998-06-78.

The letter should contain the full name, date and place of birth, passport data (series, number, place of registration), a list of carry-on equipment, contact phone numbers, the name of the media.

We draw the attention of the media representatives that it is necessary to forward applications for accreditation and arrive at the event in advance.

Entrance to the Presidential Library is carried out only by prior registration and upon showing a passport: for media representatives - through entrance № 2, participants and guests of the event - through entrance № 1.

In order to reduce the risks of the spread of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the use of personal protective equipment during the event is mandatory for all attendees.