Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari

Russia. Dir. Alexsei Fedorchenko. 2012, 106 mins. Fedorchenko conjures a one-of-a-kind film of folklore-based tales rooted in the autonomous Mari El region of central Russia—an area filled with lakes, forests, and long-standing traditions. The Mari are one of world’s last remaining nature-based pagan societies. In Meadow Mari, sexual maturation, fertility, love, and marriage intermingle with rituals and nature. Here you will find a woman cursed by a jealous tree, another disappearing as she becomes the “lover of the wind,” and a voluptuous aunt rubbing her flat-chested niece down with her towel in order to pass along some femininity.

Preceded by Prospect. United States. Dirs. Zeek Earl & Chris Caldwell. 2013, 13 mins. A teenage girl and her father hunt for precious materials on a toxic alien planet, but roving bandits want the same thing.

Tickets: $10 public / free for Museum members. Order tickets onlineor call 718 777 6800. For more information on membership and to join online, visit our membership page. A $27 Rural Route Festival Pass is available for all programs taking place at the Museum. To guarantee access to individual screenings, Festival Pass holders may reserve tickets in advance by calling 718 777 6800 or emailing [email protected].