The book's best gift: the TV series "It's Hard to be a God" and the play "The Gambler"

Izvestia's choice

"It's hard to be a God," 18+

In the distant future, earthlings will help less developed civilizations overcome difficult stages of development. Anton, an employee of the Institute of History, is among the observers going to the medieval Arkanar on the planet Kepler-4077. He's working undercover there. According to legend, he is an aristocrat — Don Rumata of Estora. The goal is to save scientists who can advance evolution. The main principle is not to disrupt the natural course of history. But Anton has personal reasons to ignore the prohibitions: it was here that his father disappeared without a trace many years ago.

The series is based on the cult novel by the Strugatsky brothers, Soviet science fiction writers, "It's Hard to be a God." The creators expanded the story and added new bright lines to accurately show the mores of the cruel Arkanar. Part of the filming took place in Iran — the creators had been looking for a suitable location for several years. And in Russia, a large medieval city was built on the territory of the Moskino Film Park for the project.

The script was written by Andrey Zolotarev. The role of Don Rumata was played by Serbian actor Aleksandar Radojicic, already known to the Russian audience from The Balkan Frontier. Sergey Bezrukov plays the role of Don Condor. Fyodor Lavrov played one of the main antagonists, Don Reba. The main cast also includes Victoria Isakova, Fedor Bondarchuk, Nikita Kologrivy, Leonid Yarmolnik, Irina Pautova, Lev Zulkarnaev, Ravshana Kurkova, Viktor Dobronravov.

September 3 at the Wink online cinema

Beyond fiction: what turned out to be the premiere night of the series "It's hard to be a God"

The audience was invited to wear special bracelets, walk through a tunnel with neon lights, and then make a moral choice.

Theatre

"Player", 16+

The Maly Theater opens the 271st season with the premiere of "The Gambler" based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. A young teacher, Alexei Ivanovich, at the request of his beloved Polina, the daughter of a general, plays roulette and wins a big prize. After he is rejected, excitement takes over: passion for the game displaces love and leads the hero to self-destruction.

On September 5 and 12 at the Maly Theater

"The day before", 18+

Satyricon begins the new season with the premiere of "The Day Before" based on Maxim Gorky's play "Egor Bulychov and Others." The action takes place in 1917, at the time of the historical breakdown. In the center is the story of the merchant Egor Bulychov, who, on the verge of death, looks back on his years and is forced to admit what he had previously turned a blind eye to. An existential drama about fear, loneliness and the cost of lost years. The main role is played by the artistic director of the theater Konstantin Raikin. Timofey Tribuntsev will embody several images at once — Donat, Doctor, policeman Mokrousov, Trumpeter, medicine woman Zobunova and blessed Perspiration. This multiple reincarnation creates a motif of a distorted, distraught world through which the dying Bulychov perceives what is happening.

On September 6 and 7, on the stage of the Moscow Youth Center "Planet KVN"

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Exhibitions

Cosmoscow Contemporary Art Fair, 18+

The 14th edition of the Cosmoscow International Contemporary Art Fair will bring together more than a hundred galleries, from recognized masters to debutants. Igor Aeroplane will show a nine-meter lighthouse installation "Splash" about the life cycle of an artistic idea. Six sections — "Base", "Contour", "Circulation", "Design", "Digital", "Communities" — cover painting, digital art and subject design. Among the participants are Nikita Alekseev, Evgeny Muzalevsky, and the Blue Soup group. The program also includes lectures and discussions.

From 4 to 6 September at the Timiryazev Center

Bread, 6+

The exhibition is dedicated to the 95th anniversary of Bakery No. 5 and turns the story of domestic bakery into a fairy tale lasting more than 20 years. The route is started by pre-revolutionary bakeries and continued by the first industrial bakeries. The exhibition contains more than a hundred paintings, decorative and applied arts, and historical artifacts. Among the authors are Boris Kustodiev, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Ilya Mashkov, Viktor Pivovarov and other artists.

From September 3 to January 17 at the Zotov Center

Exhibitions by Anna Kass, Anna Kanfer and the group project "Imitators", 0+

SISTEMA GALLERY presents three new exhibitions. The group project "Imitators" explores the nature of borrowing. The authors turn other people's ideas into an independent artistic statement, entering into a cultural dialogue with their predecessors.

Artist Anna Kanfer opens a solo exhibition "Memories of a wandering soul". The author analyzes what kind of trace the places we visit leave. The works are based on Kanfer's sketches and impressions from trips over the past year. A recurring image is the "storyteller", a black sphinx cat. In the mythology of the artist, she accompanies the viewer, acting as a mediator between realities and referring to creatures from Slavic folklore.

Anna Kass's solo exhibition "Come On, Blue Silence" offers to slow down and take a closer look at familiar images. Among them are an apple orchard, a cherry, a swan, and crystal. The artist is not trying to make a loud statement, but, on the contrary, strives to build a special atmosphere of contemplation.

From September 3 to October 4 at SISTEMA GALLERY

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Festivals

Docker, 18+

The 12th International Documentary Film Festival. There are 12 films in the main competition. Russia will be represented by Sergey Karandashov's painting "On the Edge" about an intensive care doctor from Dagestan who is sent on a business trip to a war zone. In total, the schedule includes more than 80 films from 30 countries. Among them is the continuation of Sergei Miroshnichenko's epochal cycle "Born in the USSR" and the documentary film "Angelic Rank", which takes the viewer to the Novodevichy Monastery, one of the most famous and mysterious monasteries.

From 3 to 13 September at the October Cinema Center and the Zotov Center