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.

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.

This version of Russian Spy was limited to 5 minutes, but there is so much more to this story. The people, events and intrigue of it all are truly incredible.

We're working on a full-length version of the film, with post-production now underway. If you'd like to stay up-to-date with our progress, or find out how you can help, we'd love to hear from you.