40 years on: Advances in

Audio Description in Russia

a presentation by

Alexey Kozulyaev Ivan Borshchevsky Olga Davis

 AD in Russia
• 1920s
For several years
Vasili Oshchepkov screened
films in Sakhalin, an island
in the Far East of Russia,
acting both as
a projectionist and a benshi.
 AD in Russia
• Benshi
During the silent film era,
in Japan, there were performers
who provided live narration
for silent films. They were called
benshi​. The benshi stood to the side
of the screen and related the story
to the audience. They also provided
translation for foreign films.
 AD in Russia
• 1930s
Description of live
events to blind
and deaf spectators
 AD in Russia
• 1978
The first described film, Cleopatra,
the 1963 American epic historical
drama, was screened in Moscow.
Audio describer –
Anatoly Chechetin
 AD in Russia
• 1970s-1990s
“Audio films”
 AD in Russia
• 2000s
• Reacomp (Institute) - “typhlocommenting”
• All-Russia Society of the Blind
• RuFilms, LLC
 Russian Legislation
• Civil Code of the Russian Federation
Article 1274. The Free Use of a Work for
Information, Scientific, Educational or Cultural
Purposes
The following is admissible without the consent
of the author or other right holder and
without paying a fee… typhlocommenting
(audio description)
 Russian Legislation
• Federal Law No. 34 of the Russian Federation
dated March 28, 2017
On State support of Cinematography in the Russian Federation
If a filmmaker receives funds from the State for the
production of a full-length national film created in
an artistic or animated form, in accordance with
part one of this article, the recipient is obliged to
provide subtitles and audio description of this film.
 Training in AD
The School for Audiovisual
Translation (Rufilms, LLC)
promotes the AD in leading
Russian universities