Neya Zorkaya (1924–2006) is a leading specialist in the history of culture, a world-famous film scholar, winner of several awards, author of two dozen books and more than a thousand publications in the field of cinema. Her works, and primarily the fundamental work “Illustrated History of Soviet Cinema,” were translated and published in the USA, Japan, and other countries in mass editions, becoming classics of art history. This book is dedicated to Russian cinema and covers the most important milestones of its formation and flourishing, starting from its origins in the 20th century and ending with the chapter “The Splendor and Poverty of Democracy” with a multi-valued postscript question: will Russian cinema flourish in the 21st century? In the author’s “History of Russian Cinema. XX century" richness of factual material and informativeness are combined with fascinating presentation. The publication is addressed to a wide range of readers, students, and art students as additional material for the course on the history of cinema.