agitprop: acronym for agitation and propaganda
AKhRR: Assotsiatsiya khudozhnikov revolyutsionnoi Rossii – Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia
ARK: Assotsiatsiya revolyutsionnoi kinematografii – Association of Revolutionary Cinematography
ARRK: Assotsiatsiya rabotnikov revolyutsionnoi kinematografii – Association of Workers of Revolutionary Cinematography
Belgoskino: acronym for Belorussian State Cinema organisation
Comintern: acronym for Communist International
Dneprostroi: acronym for hydro-electric dam construction project on the River Dnieper and symbol of the industrialisation process of the First Five Year Plan
FEKS: Fabrika ekstsentricheskogo aktëra – Factory of the Eccentric Actor
GIK: Gosudarstvennyi institut kinematografii – State Cinema Institute, 1930–4
Glaviskusstvo: acronym for State Directorate of Art Affairs
Glavpolitprosvet: acronym for State Political Education Committee of Narkompros, 1920–30
Glavrepertkom: acronym for State Repertoire Committee
Goskino: acronym for State Cinema organisation 1922–4
Goskinprom Gruzii: acronym for State Cinema Industry of Georgia
Gosvoyenkino: acronym for State Military Cinema
GPU: Gosudarstvennoe politicheskoe upravlenie – State Political Directorate. Secret police: formerly Cheka, later NKVD
GTK: Gosudarstvennyi tekhnikum kinematografii – State Cinema Polytechnic, 1925–30
GUK/GUKF: Gosudarstvennoe upravlenie kinofotopromyshlennosti – State Directorate for the Cinema and Photographic Industry. Strictly speaking, the change from GUKF to GUK occurred on 5 January 1937
GUS: Gosudarstvennyi uchënyi sovet – State Academic Council of Narkompros, 1919–33
Kino-Moskva: literally ‘Cine-Moscow’. Moscow cinema enterprise
Kinosever: literally ‘Cine-North’. Petrograd cinema enterprise
kolkhoz: acronym for collective farm
Komsomol: acronym for Communist Youth League
Kultkino: acronym for Cultural Cinema. Documentary section of Goskino/Sovkino headed by Vertov
LEF: Levyi front iskusstv – Left Art Front
Lenfilm: acronym for Leningrad film studios since 28 September 1934
Leningradkino: Leningrad cinema enterprise in 1920s
Mezhrabpom: acronym for International Workers’ Aid
Mezhrabpom-Rus: semi-private film production organisation established 1 August 1924 with capital from Mezhrabpom
Mezhrabpomfilm: joint film production organisation established 7 September 1928 to replace Mezhrabpom-Rus, and itself replaced by children’s film studio, Soyuzdetfilm, 13 June 1936
MKhAT: Moskovskii khudozhestvennyi akademicheskii teatr – Moscow Art Theatre
Narkompros: acronym for People’s Commissariat of Enlightenment, headed by Lunacharsky, 1917–29
NEP: New Economic Policy – partial restoration of capitalism designed to restore production to 1913 levels
nepman: derogatory term for member of the new Soviet bourgeoisie that began to emerge under NEP
Nordkino: Petrograd cinema enterprise
ODSK: Obshchestvo druzei sovetskogo kino – Society of Friends of Soviet Cinema
Proletkino: acronym for Proletarian Cinema – organisation established in 1923 to supply suitable films to workers’ clubs
Proletkult: acronym for Proletarian Culture organisation
rabfak: acronym for workers’ school
Rabis: acronym for Union of Art Workers
rabkor: acronym for worker correspondent
Rabkrin (also RKI): Raboche-krest’yanskaya inspektsiya – Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspectorate
RAPM: Rossiiskaya assotsiatsiya proletarskikh muzykantov – Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians, 1923–32
RAPP: Rossiiskaya assotsiatsiya proletarskikh pisatelei – Russian Association of Prol etarian Writers, 1925–32
REF: Revolyutsionnyi front iskusstv – Revolutionary Art Front
RKP(b): Rossiiskaya Kommunisticheskaya partiya (bor’shevikov) – Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks), 1918–25
ROSTA: acronym for Russian Telegraph Agency, 1918–35
RSFSR: Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. Name applied to the whole country, 1917–24, but to the Russian Republic alone since 1924
selkor: peasant correspondent
Sevzapkino: acronym for North Western Cinema, based in Petrograd
Sorabis: see: Rabis
Sovkino: acronym for Soviet Cinema organisation, 1924–30
Sovnarkom: acronym for Council of People’s Commissars
Soyuzkino: literally ‘Union Cinema’. Central Soviet cinema organisation, established 13 February 1930, replaced by GUKF 11 February 1933
Soyuzmultfilm: acronym for Union Animated Film enterprise, established 13 June 1936
Soyuztekhfilm: acronym for Union Technical Film
Unovis: acronym for the Affirmers of the New Art, grouped around Malevich
Vesenkha/VSNKh: Supreme Council of the National Economy
VFKO: Vserossiiskii fotokinematograficheskii otdel Narkomprosa – All Russian Photographic & Cinematographic Section of Narkompros
VGIK: Vsesoyuznyi gosudarstvennyi institut kinematografu – All-Union State Cinema Institute, since 1934
Vkhutemas: acronym for Higher State Artistic & Technical Workshops, established to realise the ideals of Constructivism
VKP(b): Vsesoyuznaya Kommunisticheskaya partiya (bol’shevikov) – All Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), 1925–52
VOAPP: Vsesoyuznoe ob”edinenie assotsiatsii proletarskikh pisatelei – All Union League of Associations of Proletarian Writers
Vostokkino: literally ‘East Cinema’. Cinema organisation established to serve Siberia and the Soviet Far East
VUFKU: Vseukrainskoe foto-kinoupravlenie – All-Ukrainian Photographic & Cinematographic Directorate