Academia Rossica

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Academia Rossica is a London/Moscow-based non-profit cultural organization founded in 2000 to strengthen cultural and intellectual ties between Russia and the West. It operates as a UK registered charity led by Director Svetlana Adjoubei, with offices in London and Moscow. Its London address is Brewer Street, London W1F 9TX, and the nearest public transit is Piccadilly Circus.

The organization promotes contemporary Russian culture in the West and acts as a cultural bridge between London and Moscow. It runs a program of events, including the London Russian Film Festival, and supports the Russian Publishers stand at the London Book Fair to encourage Russian literature in the international publishing industry. Academia Rossica also invites Russian writers and critics for seminars and discussions during the SLOVO Festival. It runs two literary translation prizes: the Rossica Prize for the best English translation of Russian literature, and the Rossica Young Translators Prize for applicants under 25.

London Russian Film Festival, launched in 2007, presents new Russian films with English subtitles and offers opportunities to meet directors, actors and producers through masterclasses and events. In 2011, Academia Rossica helped start the Russian-British Co-Production and Distribution Forum with the Russian Cinema Fund and the British Film Institute, linking UK and Russian film professionals and promoting collaboration.

KinoKlub, London’s Russian Film Club, began at the Apollo Piccadilly in 2011, showing contemporary Russian films with English subtitles each month. The club is open to the public, with discounted rates for members and exclusive events for them.

The organization also coordinates READ RUSSIA! at international book fairs and promotes the official Russian pavilion at fairs such as the London Book Fair, supported by Rospechat (the Russian Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications). It represents major Russian publishers and runs industry-focused seminars and discussions with leading Russian writers and critics. In 2011, Russia was the Guest of Honour at the London Book Fair, a moment highlighted by Russian leadership as a sign of strong cultural ties.

SLOVO Russian Literature Festival, launched in 2008, brings together contemporary Russian fiction, poetry and non-fiction through readings and discussions across London and the UK. Academia Rossica also organizes the International Lounge at the Moscow International Book Fair to help international publishers explore Russia’s literary scene and opportunities for collaboration.

The organization publishes Rossica, a high-quality arts journal covering contemporary Russian writing, art, architecture and film, offering insights into Russia’s history and culture. The Rossica Translation Prize, worth £5,000 and split between the translator and the publisher, is the world’s only prize for the best new English translation of Russian literature. The prize is open to works published anywhere. The Rossica Young Translators Prize, established in 2009, invites university students worldwide to compete and start their careers as literary translators.