Why do some films become "mandatory" during the holidays while others remain off-screen? In a meeting with film historian Stanislav Dedinsky, you will explore how the New Year screen ritual developed: from pre-revolutionary Christmas stories to Soviet hits and rare Western "inclusions" - with facts and live examples. It is hard to imagine New Year holidays without scheduled films. However, the familiar set of films did not form immediately - and not always as memory suggests. In the lecture, film and animation historian Stanislav Dedinsky will break down how the domestic "holiday" repertoire was born and why some films became entrenched in tradition while others never became a family custom. One of the main reasons for the discussion is the history of the main television legend. Eldar Ryazanov's film about the bathhouse and address mix-up seems today to be an eternal companion of the New Year, although in the USSR it was shown during the holidays only five times: in 1976 at the premiere, then in 1979, 1983, 1989, and 1991. The lecturer will show how a rare repeat creates the feeling of "every year" and why collective memory works so convincingly. Dedinsky will guide listeners through unexpected early examples. In one of the first pre-revolutionary Christmas films, the main characters were frogs and beetles - and this fact helps to see how free the language of festive cinema was at the beginning of the century. They will also discuss provocative questions: can "Battleship Potemkin" be considered the first Soviet New Year film and what actually makes a film "New Year" - a calendar, a plot, a viewing ritual, or a social need for a certain mood. A separate part of the lecture will be dedicated to how "Carnival Night" changed the rules of the game and became a new type of thaw comedy. Here, not only jokes and music are important, but also the image of the country that cinema offers on the border of the old and new year. Further, the topic of "importing traditions" will arise: which Western films have organically integrated into Russian viewing and why many did not take root.