Tuesday Curatorial: “Russian Spy”; a short film

Explore the tale of the potential Russian invasion of Albany in the late 19th century in the 2023 documentary film and hear directly from the film makers. 

New evidence uncovered at the State Records Office of WA outlines Albany potentially under threat of invasion by Russia in 1885. These pieces of historical evidence have been turned into a short documentary film Russian Spy. 

Joining us online are the filmmakers, Jennifer Piper and Dasha Melnik. 

Film synopsis

Russian Spy is a film about Australian identity, otherness and the importance of learning from our past.

Amidst the uncertainty of a news cycle fixated on the Russia-Ukrain war, social media saturated with anti-Russian sentiment, and the world in fear of an unspecified Russian threat, Russian-Australian Cinematographer Dasha Melnik investigates encoded messages sent from Britain to Albany in 1885, warning local officials to be on the lookout for Russian spies.

While trying to figure out why a tiny 19th Century town at the end of the world would be under threat from Russia, Dasha explores the relationship between truth and perception, building identity through fear, and whether anything has really changed.

As a cinematographer, Dasha Melnik is a kind of spy, observing the world around her to share it with others. As a Russian-born Australian, she is a character out of place, living across two cultures from opposite sites of the equator.

With input from Damien Hassan, Senior Archivist at State Records Office WA, and Malcolm Traill, an Albany legend and renowned historian, Russian Spy invites you to uncover a moment in WA’s history that's been buried in time.