Zhanna Budenkova is a PhD candidate in Film Studies and Slavic at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her MA in Russian studies from Ruhr-Universität in Germany. Her research interests cover early Soviet cinema and science fiction films in the USSR. She is also working on the topic of body politics in Russian protest art. Her professional background includes journalism and involvement with documentary film production.
Education & Training
- MA, Ruhr-Universität Bochum
- MA, Russian State University for the Humanities
- BA, Krasnoyarsk Teacher Training University
Courses Taught
Representative Publications
“Fragments of Empire: Heartland in Post-Soviet Films.” Cinemasaurus: Russian Cinema in its Contemporary Context. Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2020.
Representative Conference Presentations
“Imagined Geography of Outer Space in Soviet Science Fiction Films of the Thaw.” Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES), San Francisco, CA. November 2019.
“Russian Protest Art: The Grotesque Body That Saves the Nation.” American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Literatures (AATSEEL), San Francisco, CA. February 2017.
“Storming the Skies: Military Rhetoric of Soviet Science Fiction Films of the Cold War Era.” Southern Conference on Slavic Studies (SCSS), Charlotte, NC. March 2018.
Conference Organization, Volunteering
Russian Film Symposium. Organizing Committee. 2016-present.
Three Rivers Film Festival 2019. Volunteer.
Research Grants
- Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh
- Ivan Elagin Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh
- DAAD Scholarship, Ruhr-Universität Bochum
- Fulbright Scholarship, Concordia College (Moorhead, MN)