Searching databases you need to be mindful that some Russian names can be transliterated in a few different but accepted ways. That is particularly important when dealing with names ending in “ii” or “y” as in the case of film director Andrei Tarkovskii. His name can be also spelled Andrey Tarkovsky and even Andrej Tarkovskij. For the most complete results, use all variants in your search.

Tip: For unique names like Tarkovskii or Kozintsev (as opposed to very common names like Ivanov), search only the last name of the person.

If you don’t have a specific person or film in mind then you can search these databases using general terms: Soviet cinema, Soviet film, Russian cinema, Russian film, Soviet/Russian film/cinema history or reviews.

For more specific searches you can combine terms, like: Soviet cinema AND World War II, or Soviet film AND women.