6th Annual Russian Film Week (October 13-19, 2006) After Party at Moomia October 15, 2006 Written and Photographed by Melinda Maclean Click here for Reviews from Russian Film Week (Opposite Photo - I Smirnov, Organizer of Russian Film Week on the left)

In celebration of Russian Film Week in New York I attended an after-party at Moomia (157 Lafayette St.) on October 15th. The club's Egyptian theme and low lighting makes it feel like you have enetered a secret chamber which is only accessible by pulling on a certain book on a shelf like in an old Hollywood film.The walls are decorated with Egyptian figures and hieroglyphs and girls dressed in tiny bikini tops and flowing skirts flit around like ghosts.The liquor flowed and people were dancing, seemingly lost in a trance. I met Mr. Ioori Smirnov, head of Globe PR Group, which organized the festival, and he took me around introducing me to various Russian film actors, producers and directors; carrying on the tradition of ground-breaking Russian cinema since Eisenstein. And there was a lot of drinking and talking - in the Russian way - open, intimate and gregarious.