New Documentary FROM RUSSIA WITH MATH Selected for Winter Fest Film Festival

"From Russia with Math", a new documentary about the Russian School of Mathematics (RSM), has been selected to be part of NewFilmmakers 2014 WINTER FEST film festival. The film tells the story of two Russian immigrant mothers who sparked a revolution in American math education.

In 1997 Inessa Rifkin and Irina Khavinson founded the Russian School of Mathematics (RSM), an award-winning afterschool math program, in response to what they saw as a failure in American math education. The two women designed a curriculum based on the best practices of advanced math schools in Russia and Europe and adapted them to the American educational environment. With the support of like-minded parents, the math school, which was once based in the Rifkin living room, has grown to be one of the largest and most successful after-school math programs in the US, serving over 10,000 students across six states.

Rifkin and Khavinson pride themselves on plucking the jewel of math education from the regime that oppressed them and gifting it to the country that granted them freedom. "We took what the Soviets did best and brought it to the free world," says Rifkin.

Over the past 17 years, RSM has built a tightly knit community of parents, students and alumni. "RSM is more than just a school," Rifkin says, "It's a passion. It's a movement of parents who are driven to give their children the very best."

A screening of the film, directed by Alex Kaplan and produced by Elena Ulanovski, will be held on January 7 at 6 pm at the Anthology Film Archives on the Lower East Side at 32 Second Avenue and 2 nd. Admission is $6.

See the "From Russia with Math" Trailer here: www.russianschool.com/fromrussiawithmath

About the Russian School of Mathematics
The Russian School of Mathematics (RSM), an advanced after-school math program for K-12 children, has developed excellence in mathematics and critical thinking skills since 1997. RSM students consistently post top scores in national and international math competitions and on standardized tests. RSM students also see higher grade point averages in school, more confidence, and a strengthening of problem-solving and critical thinking skills. For more information, visit www.russianschool.com.

SOURCE Russian School of Mathematics

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