The Golden Unicorn Awards 2019 The Awards ceremony took place on Saturday 30th November in the stunning art deco ballroom of the Sheraton Grand Park Lane Hotel on Piccadilly in London’s Mayfair. The Golden Unicorn Awards is an annual event reflecting the cross-cultural mission of the Russian Film Week Festival; building a bridge between the English-speaking world and the Russian people. The unique unicorn statuettes made of Bohemian crystal glass, containing 24 carat gold leaf, were given to the winners in nine nominations. Filip Perkon, Founder and General Producer of the Golden Unicorn Awards, said: ‘The Golden Unicorn Awards are now in their fourth year of existence and have already become an important part of the filmmaking calendar, both in Russian and the UK. The awards have a truly unique approach of evaluating the achievements of creative talents and motion pictures. Unlike many national awards, the Golden Unicorns have two cross-cultural juries, allowing Russian international films to be judged by Russian standards. We thank all our nominees, friends and celebrate creative talents for taking part in the competition’. Linda Jensen, the President of International Jury of the Golden Unicorn Awards said: 'Having a rich history, great cultural heritage and talented people, Russia is a country with a deep well of stories waiting to be told through film. As the film industry grows in the country and new talent emerge, there is a big potential for Russian content to be successful internationally. I am excited to be the President of the Jury of the Golden Unicorn Awards and discover the best of Russian motion pictures.' Awards Ceremony brought together leading actors, businesspeople, celebrities and film industry elite, including Danila Kozlovsky, Ravshana Kurkova, Alexander Petrov, Daria Moroz, Marina Zudina, Dmitry Dyuzhev, Alena Mikhailova, Alexey Uchitel, Dmitry Glukhovsky, Yuri Bykov, Mikhail Idov, Alexander Lungin, Grigory Dobrygin, Maria Agranovich, Klim Shipenko, Philipp Colberg, POLINA and many others making it most celebrity attended event in Russian London and other famous guests. The event started with a gala dinner and a charity auction in aid of Naked Heart France, established by Natalia Vodianova. The evening was hosted by famous Russian journalist and writer Mikhail Zygar and renowned Russian actress Svetlana Khodchenkova, and the auction led by Christie’s excellent Sarah Reynolds and Natalia Voinova. During the evening over £50,000 was raised for programmes helping children with special needs in Russia. Natalia Vodianova, model, philanthropist, founder of the Naked Heart France said: ‘At Naked Heart we rely on the support and generosity of our friends and partners. Russian Film Week is an especially wonderful friend in allowing us to raise not only funds but also awareness of mental and physical disabilities. Our mission is to build an inclusive society where people of all abilities are able to thrive and I give my heartfelt thanks to the Russian Film Week and Golden Unicorn Awards for giving us the opportunity to showcase our work for children with special needs to their audiences as they come together to share the experience of film, and to raise funds essential to our work.’ Exclusive entertainment was provided by actress Sabina Akhmedova and Contessa show by singer-songwriter Polina. Grammy winning artist Polina is a true friend of The Russian Film Week and The Golden Unicorn Awards. Throughout all four years she has supported them in both London and Moscow. In 2019 Polina starred in Interstate Fifteen - a film of the Russian Film Week short film program. The winners of the Golden Unicorn Awards 2019: Best Film “Van Goghs”, director Sergey Livnev Best screenplay “The Humorist”, writer Michael Idov Best Actor  Daniel Olbrychski, “Van Goghs”         Best actress Alena Mikhailova, “Love Them All” Best Emerging Talent Alena Mikhailova, actress, “Love Them All” Best Debut “The Humorist”, Mikhail Idov, director Best Foreign Film with a Russian connection “Give Me liberty”, director Kirill Mikhanovsky Best Foreign Documentary About Russia “Buratino”, director Sacha Slobodyanik Best Animation Film “The Snow Queen: Mirrorlands”, directors Robert Lence and Aleksey Tsitsilin Best Documentary “The Case of Sobchak”, director Vera Krichevskaya Best Short “White mark”, director Anton Mamykin Best Russian Film on Ecology “Father Baikal”, director Marina Maria Mel'nik General sponsor of The Golden Unicorn Awards 2019 – SIBUR; ceremony sponsor – Blavatnik Family Foundation; caviar Partner – Attilus Caviar; technology partner – Celebro; chartiry auction partner – Christie’s.

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Russian Film Week 2018: The Big Launch The world premiere of “Servant” was presented at the Russian Film Week in Odeon Luxe Leicester Square On November 24, London celebrated the opening of the fourth annual Russian Film Week festival. The highlight of the event was the world premiere of Klim Shipenko's comedy “Servant”. The Russian premier of the movie is scheduled for the end of December. “Servant” is the story of Grisha, a young man born with a silver spoon in his mouth. After a car crash Grisha wakes up in 1860 village inhabited by serfs. There he faces a very different lifestyle and has to adapt to the ruthlessness of that age. Milosh Bikovich, Ivan Okhlobystin, Alexandra Bortich, Vadim Demchog, Alexander Samoilenko, Maria Mironova and other famous Russian speaking actors played the main roles in the movie. The screening of “Servant” took place in the iconic London cinema - ODEON Luxe Leicester Square, which has always been known for the Royal, World and European film premieres. Odeon Luxe has the largest cinema screen in the UK and is one of the few cinemas which interior is similar to the architecture of a classical theatre. Last night, at the Russian Film Week 2019’s big launch, all 800 seats were sold out. The festival welcomed a number of famous people from Russian and British cinema industries, cultural figures and businessmen, including director of “Servant” Klim Shypenko's, actress Maria Mironova, actor Dmitry Dyuzhev, actor, Andrew Byron, actress Svetlana Kamynina, actress and model Yanina Studilina, Nikolay Storonsky (founder of Revolut), Andrey Andreev (founder of Badoo app) etc. Filip Perkon, the General Producer of the Russian Film Week, opened the official part of the evening with his speech: “Looking back four years ago at our first festival, I remember dreaming how one day we would host the opening at the iconic Odeon Luxe. I am very pleased that this dream has come true tonight. Especially since this is the first time when we are opening our film festival with a world premiere.” He explained that this year a record number of applications were submitted for participation in the festival. The Russian Film Week Nomination Committee watched over 430 films. The final program included 36 full-length and 18 short films of various genres: dramas, comedies, historical films, thrillers, action films, melodramas, fantasy, documentaries. As always Russian Film Week presents an entire diversity of genres in the Russian film industry and this is reflected in the choice of the opening film. “At our first festival we started with a military-historical film (“The Hero”, directed by Y.Vasiliev), then there was a science-fiction (“Attraction”, directed by F. Bondarchuk), last year we showed historical drama (“The Story of a An Appointment”, D. Smirnova ),” Filip Perkon recalled. “Of course, I am extremely pleased that my film opens The Russian Film Week in London. “Servant” is a story about father-son relationships and the means by which parents choose to re-educate spoiled youth. It seems to me that London audience is a perfect target for our film. Many of our wealthy compatriots live here and this plot becomes especially relevant. And this is probably the most “Russian” film in the RFW program; not only it shows modern Russia, but it also brings us back to the traditional Russian village of the XIX century, back to our roots. Despite of the theme, "Servant " is a comedy: a genre that is appealing and accessible to any viewer. It happened that this year I present two of my films at the RFW. My other work, “Text”, is completely different from “Servant.” It is a drama about Russian reality today; there are no metaphors, just the real story about a person’s vulnerability in the face of repression and the way in which our whole life can fit in a smartphone. I am looking forward to meeting with London audience – a very different type of audience – and participating in interesting discussions. Hopefully, they will see me as a director that can convey very different themes through the screen." said Klim Shipenko. Today Klim is one of the most famous contemporary Russian directors. His track record includes the thriller “Who am I?” with Zhanna Friske, the adventure film “Salute-7” and the production of Dmitry Glukhovsky’s sensational novel “Text” with Alexander Petrov starring, which the audience will see this year. By the way, “Salyut-7” was also included in the program of the Russian Film Week in 2018. The screening of “Servant” was followed by Q&A session with Filip Perkon, Klim Shipenko and actress Maria Mironova, who played one of the main roles in the comedy. After the show, the guests moved to W Hotel, where the RFW Kaspersky Opening Party took place. The fourth Russian Film Week will run until December 1, 2019  in landmark venues across London: ODEON Luxe Leicester Square, BFI Southbank, Regent Street Cinema, Ciné Lumière, Curzon Mayfair, as well as in Edinburgh, Cambridge and Oxford. An eight-day film panorama celebrates the best of new films produced by Russian filmmakers worldwide and promotes Russian cinema while bridging the gap between Russian cinematography and the Western world. Overall, 37 movies of different genres and 18 short films are included in the program showing the diversity of Russian cinematography. Besides the opportunity to see new Russian film releases, the guests will have the chance to meet the filmmakers at Q&A sessions, masterclasses, workshops, seminars, public talks, VR-films and  art exhibitions. Guests can also meet them at the RFW Industry Forum, a 2-day event of pitching, casting and meetings between Russian and British filmmakers. The Russian Film Week culminates in the Golden Unicorn Awards focused on the recongnition of international and local filmmakers creating films in Russia and on Russia-related themes. The awards ceremony is expected to be another spectacular show featuring global actors on the red carpet and a Charity Gala Dinner in aid of Natalia Vodianova’s Naked Heart Foundation. Russian Film Week and The Golden Unicorn Awards was founded in 2016 by Filip Perkon (Perkon Productions Ltd.), co-organizers – Synergy University and Rock Films. General sponsor of The Russian Film Week and The Golden Unicorn Awards 2019 – SIBUR; sponsors – Gazprom Marketing & Trading and Blavatnik Family Foundation. Charity Partner – Naked Heart Foundation.  The festival is supported by the Russian Ministry of Culture. The schedule of all events can be found on the official website http://www.russianfilmweek.org/

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The Golden Unicorn Awards is an annual event reflecting the cross-cultural mission of the Russian Film Week and building a bridge between the English-speaking world and the Russian people. The ceremony is designed to recognize excellence in 12 nominations: Best Film “The Factory”, director Yury Bykov “The Great Poetry”, director Alexander Lungin “Text”, director Klim Shipenko “Van Goghs”, director Sergey Livnev “Convoy 48”, director Fedor Popov Best Screenplay “The Humorist”, writer Michael Idov “Sheena667”, writers Grigory Dobrygin, Alexander Rodionov, Iliya Nosochenko “Love Them All”, writer Maria Agranovich “Through The Black Glass”, writer Konstantin Lopushanskiy “Van Goghs”, writer Sergey Livnev Best Actor        Alexander Petrov, “Text”         Alexander Kuznetsov, “The Great Poetry”        Alexey Agranovich, “The Humorist” Daniel Olbrychski, “Van Goghs”         Mikhail Sukhanov, “Through The Black Glass”            Best Actress Alena Mikhailova, “Love Them All” Anna Mikhalkova, “Another Woman” Viktoria Tolstoganova, “High Above” Yulia Peresild, “Sheena 667” Best Emerging Talent Alena Mikhailova, actress, “Love Them All” Maria Lobanova, actress, “Success” Alexander Zolotukhin, director, “A Russian Youth” Maria Agranovich, director, “Love Them All” Best Debut “The Humorist”, Mikhail Idov, director “Sheena667”, Grigory Dobrygin, director “Love Them All”, Maria Agranovich, director, “Great Poetry”, Alexander Lungin, director “Another Woman”, Anna Parmas, director Best Foreign Film with a Russian connection “The Orchard” directors Wanja M Sellers and Charles McMahon “Mr Jones”, director Agnieszka Holland “Give Me liberty”, director Kirill Mikhanovsky “Franka”, director Mitry Semenov-Aleynikov “The White Crow”, director Ralph Fiennes Best Foreign Documentary About Russia “Darkhan”, director Gulshat Omarova “Lost Reactor”, director Alexandra Westmeier “Women's Day”, director Dolya Gavanski “The Patriot / Der Patriot”, director Katja Fedulova “Buratino”, director Sacha Slobodyanik Best Animation Film  “The Snow Queen: Mirrorlands”, directors Robert Lence and Aleksey Tsitsilin “Sheep and Wolves: Pig Deal”, director Vladimir Nikolaev “Three heroes and the heiress to the throne”, director Kostantin Bronzit “Harvie and the Magic Game”, directors Inna Evlannikova, Marina Kotik Best Documentary “The Case of Sobchak”, director Vera Krichevskaya “Sorokin Trip”, director Ilya Belov “Yura The Musician”, director Pavel Selin “Nothing Personal”, director Evgeniy Milykh Best Short “Euthanasia”, director Elena Brodach “S”, director Ilya Sherstobitov “SWAP”, director Aksinya Gog “Goodbye, Amsterdam!”, director Natalia Shinelyova  “INGOT”, director Nikita Vlasov “Delivery Service”, directors Vladimir Koptsev and Elena Koptseva “Farewell”, director Maria Fomina “White mark”, director Anton Mamykin Best Russian Film on Ecology “Father Baikal”, director Marina Maria Mel'nik “Fateich and the Sea”, directors Alina Rudnitskaya and Sergey Vinokurov “The Wounded Island”, director Pavel Handorin “The Land of Bears”, director Daria Hrenova “The Poisonous Waters of Indonesia”, director Ekaterina Kozhakina “Our awards with two separate juries: an international and a Russian jury, provide a unique opportunity to recognise both Russian and foreign films through a cross-cultural lens, paving the way for recognition of the best and the most interesting content. We are proud of our lineup of diverse films and talented filmmakers nominated for the awards, and I welcome our extraordinary juries”, said Filip Perkon, Founder and General Producer of the Golden Unicorn Awards. "Having a rich history, great cultural heritage and talented people, Russia is a country with a deep well of stories waiting to be told through film. As the film industry grows in the country and new talents emerge, there is a big potential for Russian content to be successful internationally. I am excited to be the President of the Jury of the Golden Unicorn Awards and discover the best of Russian motion pictures",  said Linda Jensen, the President of International Jury of the Golden Unicorn Awards. International Jury also includes: Pierre Spengler, producer Pierre Spengler started in the industry in 1964. He worked at the Salkind Organisation producing all of their films including the internationally successful The Three Musketeers, The four Musketeers and Superman trilogy. Since 1986, he has been independent and has produced such motion pictures as The Return of the Musketeers and Underground (Golden Palm in Cannes 1995) and co-produced more than 20 films out of the United Kingdom including Unleashedstarring Jet Li and Morgan Freeman, Guy Ritchie’s Revolver starring Jason Statham, and 7 Seconds starring Wesley Snipes. Alan Cox, actor, director and producer He has appeared in many productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre and earlier this year he played the title role in Uncle Vanya at the Hampstead theatre in London. He made his feature film debut as Watson in Young Sherlock Holmes. He has taught Shakespeare at the Moscow Art Theatre School and this year was associate director of Forest, a physical theatre performance devised by the Brusnikin Studio, at the Edinburgh festival fringe. Nancy Bishop, casting director Nancy Bishop is an American born, Emmy-nominated casting director, who works internationally from offices in London and Prague. She is the founder of the Casting Society of America’s European branch and the Acting for Film program at the Prague Film School. Nancy has been retained as casting director by dozens of major screen producers and directors, including Brad Bird (Mission Impossible IV), Roman Polanski (Oliver), Matthew Weiner (The Romanoffs) and Guillermo del Toro (the original Hellboy). She is an author of two books, the most recent being Auditioning for Film and Television. Wendy Reeds, executive vice president at Lionsgate International An international sales and distribution veteran with 29 years of experience, Wendy works as an Executive Vice President at Lionsgate International with responsibility for running the international licensing team in the UK. Ms. Reeds ran the Company’s Asian sales and operations out of Hong Kong for several years, she has been instrumental in building Lionsgate’s operations in China. Nick Holdsworth, journalist British foreign correspondent with 30 years of experience. He writes for The Hollywood Reporter. He is also a Moscow correspondent for international TV network France 24. He has written and directed several documentary shorts, other credits include Permafrost Kingdom shot on location in Yakutia, Russia, November 2011 and two non-fiction books: Moscow The Beautiful and the Damned – Life in Russia in Transition, The Russian Patriot – A Red Army Soldier’s Service for His Motherland (with Sigismund Diczbalis) and Against Bolshevism. Christopher Simon, producer and CEO at New Sparta Productions NSP financed The Killing of a Sacred Deer, which premiered in competition at Cannes Film Festival 2017; Tale of Tales (Cannes Competition 2015); and Brimstone, The Limehouse Golem and Miss You Already, all three of which premiered at Toronto Film Festival. Christopher produced Miss You Already, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, starring Toni Collette and Drew Barrymore. Leo Barraclough, international features editor at Variety Leo Barraclough serves as international features editor at Variety, where he is assigned articles about the international film and TV business, as well as writing numerous news and features stories himself. Prior to joining Variety, he was features editor, and then managing editor of Screen International. Nancy Condee, Professor of Film (University of Pittsburgh) Nancy Condee is a head of the Russian Research Institute. Her awards include the Gaidar Fellowship; a British Academy Fellowship (Saint Antony’s); and a MacArthur Fellowship. In 2009 Nancy published her book Imperial Trace: Recent Russian Cinema (Oxford), which won the MLA Slavic Prize. Her articles are published in The Washington Post, October, New Left Review, Sight and Sound, as well as Russian magazines Questions of Literature and Art of Cinema. Her consultancy work includes the Edinburgh Film Festival and PBS on several Frontline documentaries. She has also served on 5 juries, including the Kinotavr Open Film Festival. Short films, documentaries and animated films will be judged by: Vestalia Chilton, a cultural strategist, art curator  Ms Chilton develops synergies between artists, organisations, cities, councils and commercial clients to create ‘win-win’ partnerships. She founded the Attollo Art in early 2011 to explore potential of co-collaboration and co-funding between private and public sectors. Some of her most recent projects include Kensington + Chelsea Art Week, Urban Art at Marrakech Biennale 6th Edition, BritWeek LA, Fine Art Sails, The Croydon Mural Project, The Exhibitionist Hotel in South Kensington and a pioneering AirBnB Gallery offering art spaces and place-making opportunities for emerging artists. Andrew Byron, actor  Andrew Byron is a British actor who, as someone who is completely fluent in Russian, has spent most of his twenty years in the film and television business playing Russians of one sort or another. Among his many screen credits, he is best known for his roles in Killing Eve, Wonder Woman, Dr. Who, War Machineand Spooks.  Although he has also played many French and German roles as well, he works predominantly in English and Russian, dividing his time between Russia and Britain.  Most recently he filmed Russian TV series (Trader) in Moscow and the Marvel movie Black Widow in London. Andrew has also produced a number of Russian-themed plays in London. Tim Stevens, BFI’s head of business development and production   2 of the 12 nominations are devoted to foreign films about Russia or films related to Russia, its culture, history, literature. Danila Kozlovsky, actor, director and producer, was appointed as a president of the Jury for Foreign Film at the Golden Unicorn Awards. “There are many stereotypes about Russia out there, and these are often reinforced in foreign films, so it is important to recognise and celebrate international filmmakers who discover and tell stories beyond the usual spy and villain themes. It's an honour to serve as President of the Foreign Films Jury at the Golden Unicorns 2019. I look forward to discovering new content from all corners of the globe and to celebrate international filmmakers in their pursuit to tell Russia connected stories”, Danila Kozlovsky says. Russian Jury also includes: Michail Zygar, Russian writer, director, political journalist  In 2000-2009 Mikhail worked for Kommersant, the biggest publishing house in Russia. He specialized in political reports from conflict areas. Later he became Editor-in-Chief of the TV Rain. He also produced two bestselling books about Russian politics: All the Kremlin’s Men and The Empire Must Die. Daria Zlatopolskaya, Russian journalist, TV host and film director She has been present on the key federal channels since early 2000s. At different points in time she was a TV host in Good Morning, Russia!, Dancing with Stars, and Belay Studia. The latter is a series of interviews with famous actors, writers and cultural activists. Andrey Plakhov, PhD awarded Russian cinema critic, journalist at newspaper Kommersant Andrey is an activist of international filmmaking industry. In 2005-2010 he was the President of the International Federation of Film Critics. Liza Surganova, editor-in-chief of Kinopoisk She has worked in the Russian media for nine years including Lenta.ru, Forbes, RBC and she has been in charge of Kinopoisk media and editorial policy for three years. This year, a special nomination, established by SIBUR, ‘Best Film on Ecology’ was added to the traditional nominations. More than 50 films were submitted for the competition. Stanislav Kasparov, Head of Business Project and Social Policy Support at SIBUR, commented: “SIBUR’s charitable program Formula of Good Deeds is actively supporting cultural projects aimed at shaping a more environmental-friendly culture. We are glad to see that the topic of ecology is concerning people from cinema industry just as much as it concerns us. A large number of films on the topic of ecology was chosen for the competition. We are hoping that the Russian Film Week audience will appreciate the works of Russian directors.” Jury of the best Russian film on ecology includes: Olga Michi, travel-blogger, photographer and producer. Sergey Apresov, journalist, TV-host, editor-in-chief of Vokrug Sveta magazine. Irina Zhuravleva, director and producer of Kamchatka bears. Life beginsdocumentary, a multiple prize-winner of international film festivals. Alexander Tsypkin, writer and director. Author of the project Unprincipled Readings. Aleksandr Melnik, screen writer and director of The territory and New Earth. Irena Ponaroshku, TV host, journalist, blogger and eco-activist. Vasiliy Akkerman, writer and publicist. The 4th Golden Unicorn Awards will be presented at the esteemed Grand Sheraton Ballroom on November 30th over a gala dinner with exquisite cuisine and entertainment. The awards ceremony is expected to be a spectacular show featuring global actors on the red carpet and a Charity Gala Dinner in aid of Natalia Vodianova’s Naked Heart Foundation.

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The Golden Unicorn Awards 2018 The Awards ceremony took place on Saturday 1st December in the stunning art deco ballroom of the Sheraton Grand Park Lane Hotel on Piccadilly in London’s Mayfair. The Golden Unicorn Awards is an annual event reflecting the cross-cultural mission of the Russian Film Week Festival; building a bridge between the English-speaking world and the Russian people. The unique unicorn statuettes made of Bohemian crystal glass, containing 24 carat gold leaf, were given to the winners in nine nominations. Filip Perkon, Founder and General Producer of the Golden Unicorn Awards, said: ‘The Golden Unicorn Awards have now become an important annual event in the Russian and European film industry calendar. In current turbulent times, such cross cultural projects are particularly important, as they provide a cultural bridge between creative people allowing them to keep making great content and celebrating their work internationally. We are happy to welcome a full house of 270 film directors, actors, writers, casting directors and patrons at our ceremony, and also support the work of Natalia Vodianova’s Naked Heart Foundation along the way. I congratulate all the nominees and winners’. British actor Brian Cox, the President of International Jury of the Golden Unicorn Awards, mentioned the level of excellence of the nominees. ‘This year, it is a particular honor to support Russian Film Week and the Golden Unicorn Awards. Given the political situation, rather than 'jump ship', it is important to maintain and strengthen our cultural links. The films I’ve seen over the last week have been stupendous, on an extraordinary high level, a level I haven’t seen in a long time. Deciding the nominees was very hard’, he said. Awards Ceremony brought together leading businesspeople, celebrities and film industry elite, including Rupert Everett, Natalia Vodianova, Olga Kurylenko, Len Blavatnik, Brian Cox, Princess Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Harry Blain, Alexey Serebriakov, Danila Kozlovsky, Maria Kozhevnikova, Irina Gorbacheva, Aleksey Uchitel, Marina Zudina, Alexandra Tolstoy, Joe Alvarez, Viktoriya Yakubovskaya and other famous guests. The event started with a gala dinner and a charity auction in aid of Naked Heart Foundation, established by Natalia Vodianova. The evening was hosted by famous Russian writer Alexander Tsypkin and the auction led by Christie's excellent Sarah Reynolds. During the evening £160,000 were raised for Naked Heart programmes helping families of children with special needs. Natalia Vodianova, model, philanthropist, founder of the Naked Heart Foundation said: ‘It's incredibly heartening to see such a wealthy array of Russian culture that the Russian Film Week brings to London, and we at the Naked Heart Foundation are proud and honoured to be the chosen charity partner of the Golden Unicorn Awards. It's fantastic to see this collaboration between film and charity, which enables us to continue our work in helping children with special needs and their families in my home country’. Exclusive entertainment was provided by The Penelopes, the Cannes Film Festival band, Russian rock and blues musician Eugeny Margulis and Ken Hensley (ex-Uriah Heep). The winners of the Golden Unicorn Awards 2018 Best Film How Viktor “The Garlic” Took Alexey “The Stud” to the Nursing Home. Director - Alexander Hant  Best Screenplay How Viktor “The Garlic” Took Alexey “The Stud” to the Nursing Home  Best Actor Evgeny Tkachuk (How Viktor “The Garlic” Took Alexey “The Stud” to the Nursing Home)  Best Actress Irina Starshenbaum  (Summer)  Best Emerging Talent Timothy Zhalin, Director (Coupled) Best Documentary INTO Nation of the Great Odessa Best Short Film The sign Best Foreign Film with a Russian connection: Sergio & Sergei Best Foreign Documentary Film A Sniper’s War

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PRESS RELEASE (eng) Russian Film Week 2018: The Big Launch Russian Film Week opened on Sunday, 25th November with a screening of the drama ‘The Story of An Appointment’ by Avdotya Smirnova at Empire IMAX Leicester Square. All 750 seats of one of the most famous cinemas in the UK, were sold out. “We are expecting a record number of visitors this year,” said Filip Perkon, Founder and General Producer of the Russian Film Week at the press conference yesterday. For comparison, the first Russian Film Week was attended by 4,500 people and the second - by 10,000. Thus, in the three years of its running, the Russian Film Week has made it into the top five of the United Kingdom’s biggest national film festivals. Avdotya Smirnova, director and screenwriter of The Story of an Appointment, outlined the importance of the Russian Film Week’s mission to build cross-cultural bridges between Russia and the UK. Speaking about the film, she said she would be interested to see how the film will be perceived by British viewers. “I hope that Leo Tolstoy's personality, which reflects in the film will attract an international audience. Moreover, one of the greatest Russian writers is only 38 years old in the film. So in any case, this is the youngest Tolstoy in the world of cinema,” Avdotya Smirnova said. Vera Podguzova, managing director of external relations and communication of Russian Export Center, spoke about the export of Russian films abroad and the role of Russian film week in this process. “Export of creative industries is experiencing a serious rise at the moment. We see great interest in Russian cartoons in China, Europe, and South America. Thanks to the information and advertising campaign of the Russian Export Center to support and promote the industry of audio-visual content production, Russian filmmakers actively acquaint viewers abroad with the modern possibilities of domestic creative industries. A number of reciprocal visits of Russian manufacturers to priority countries have already been carried out. At the Russian Film Week, we also want to present the companies participating in the Made in Russia project to the General public, including foreign investors.” The press conference was followed by the Russian Film Week opening night at Empire IMAX. The screening was followed by a Q&A and after-party at the luxury W Hotel, where food and drinks were served into the night, whilst listening to the tunes of The Penelopes, the Cannes Film Festival band and DJ Duo.  “In past centuries the world admired the Russian ballet, which became our national pride. Today's opening ceremony, which was attended by so many guests, gives the belief that our cinema will soon conquer the same bar and take its rightful place in the world culture,” Vadim Lobov, the Russian Film Week Co-producer and Synergy University Executive Director Vadim Lobov. The third Russian Film Week will run until December 2. During the eight-day festival, 68 events will be held across four cities – London, Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh. Besides the opportunity to see new Russian film releases, visitors of the festival will have the chance to meet Russian filmmakers and industry experts at numerous Q&A sessions, masterclasses, workshops, seminars, public talks and film art exhibitions. This year’s list of high-profile guests includes Vladimir Mashkov, Konstantin Khabensky, Danila Kozlovsky, Fedor Bondarchuk, Avdotya Smirnova, Marina Zudina, Ivan Okhlobystin and other experts of the Russian film industry. The festival culminates in the Golden Unicorn Awards ceremony designed to recognize excellence in 9 nominations, including the Best Foreign Film about Russia. The international jury will be led by renowned British and Hollywood actor Brian Cox. Russian Film Week 2018 is supported by the Russian Ministry of Culture, the  Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Synergy University, Blavatnik Family Foundation, Gazprom Marketing and Trading, British Film Institute (BFI), TV3, Russian Export Center and Renovatio Entertainment.

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Leningrad cinema through the eyes of a master photographer          27 November  — 2 December 2018 Russian Culture House  (Rossotrudnichestvo) 37 Kensington High Street, London, W8 5ED Rarely did photographers working at the Soviet film studios become famous: the profession was considered merely practical, and they would never receive any credit for the ‘film stills’ published for promotion. Samoel ‘Elik’ Katsev, artist and photographer, a brilliant master and a legend of Lenfilm, is virtually unknown outside the studio. The exhibition aims to fill this gap by offering the viewer to get acquainted with Katsev through his works and discover the world of film production in the 1970s and 1980s Leningrad. Samoel Ilyich Katsev (1945–2003) began his career at the studios in 1967 as a rigger. It was not until nine years later that he became a unit still photographer. One can hardly imagine the 1970s and 1980s Lenfilm Studios without Katsev. He helped actors and directors create and develop desired characters, shot film scenes, and documented the production process on set. He contributed to the making of over a hundred films by such directors as Leonid Pchyolkin, Vitaly Melnikov, Igor Maslennikov, Nadezhda Kosheverova, Alexander Belinsky, Dinara Asanova, Dmitry Dolinin, Viktor Titov, Alexander Sokurov, and Dmitry Astrakhan. However, Katsev’s actual work was far beyond his job description. Not only did he shoot on set and by request of the department head, but also created hundreds of portraits of actors, directors, artists, and cinematographers. Now that the good old Lenfilm has ceased to exist, his photographs are truly priceless. In them, we see a dramatic, emotional and compassionate collective image of a unique film studio, portrayed with great love and no ostentatious enthusiasm or polished commerciality. Samoel Katsev’s archive, including his hand-crafted prints, negatives, and slides, was donated to ROSPHOTO by his wife, Tamara Seferyan. Unfortunately, many works were lost for good a long time ago, during Katsev’s own lifetime. We now face a great challenge of identifying the photographs, editing a catalog, and introducing the work of Katsev into broader cultural context. ROSPHOTO's CEO Zakhar Kolovsky and curator of the exhibition Olga Sherwood take part in the opening day ceremony on November 27. The exhibition is provided by the State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSPHOTO (Petersburg). The exhibition in London is organized by the Russian Film Week and Rossotrudnichestvo.

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RFW Industry Days will take place in London on the 28th and 30th of November, as part of Russian Film Week in the UK. On the first day, Russian film industry professionals will introduce their British counterparts to the current trends in cinema in Russia and talk about the prospects for British-Russian cooperation in a variety of areas. On the second day, Russian filmmakers will introduce and pitch their projects to potential partners in the UK. Filip Perkon, President of Russian Film Week in the UK: 'The programme format for the event last year was based on networking. We faced the task of introducing our British colleagues to Russian cinema in an informal setting. This time round, we decided to enable a more intensive and productive interaction between filmmakers, and so increased the duration of the programme to two days. On the first day we are holding a forum, within which industry professionals can discuss important topics for Russian cinema that we will establish beforehand, while the second day will be devoted to pitching. 14 projects will be presented, those which in our opinion have the greatest potential for co-production, and in future we plan to select films on a competitive basis'. We always experiment with the format of the festival and industry programme by listening to the feedback we receive from our partners, always striving to grow and develop. In film, the market is continuously changing, just as the laws change in Russia and England. For example, it will be very interesting to observe the situation in terms of the agreement between the parties following Brexit. Of course, we will be discussing that at the next forums, as shedding light on the most pressing questions for the film industry is our primary task. In future, we hope for cooperation with filmmakers from all around the world and a greater number of programme participants.” During the programme, member of the Board of the Russian Cinema Owners’ Association and Managing Director of Nevafilm Oleg Berezin will share statistics that give an insight into the state of cinema in Russia today. The next speaker, Vadim Potapov, the head of the Financial and Production Department of the Cinema Foundation of Russia will talk about State support for filmmakers in Russia. Beyond its borders, the Russian film industry is supported by the Russian Export Centre. Senior Expert for Creative Industries of the Russian Export Centre, Evgeniya Danilchenko will share an insight into the different aspects of the work the organization undertakes and outline the prospects for British-Russian partnerships. Svetlana Maksimchenko, General Director of the Moscow Film Commission, and Valery Kupeev, General Director of the Russian Office of Film Commissions, will discuss the creation and development of film commissions throughout Russia. There will be a roundtable discussion on the distribution of Russian independent cinema in Russia and in the UK. The speakers will be Yulia Muravova, General Director of Exponenta Film; Filip Perkon, President of Russian Film Week; Leonid Godik, representative of the German company Beta Film; Denis Krupnov from Reason8 Films and Wendy Reeds from Lionsgate. At the end of the first day of the film industry programme, the trends and opportunities for training future-leaders of creative industries will be discussed by Maria Sitkovskaya, Director of Moscow Film School; Katerina Cherkes-Zade, Director of Universal University; Anna Krutova, Producer, Scriptwriter and Project Leader for Russian Cinema at the Agency of Strategic Initiatives; as well as representatives of the UK film schools. The second day will feature project pitching. During the first session (from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), Russian and UK filmmakers will present films which are currently in the development to their potential UK partners, while the second session (2 p.m. to 4 p.m.) will feature films which are a work-in-progress (in some cases, materials from these projects will be presented for the very first time).

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Russian Film Week returns to the UK in Nov 2018!

The third Annual Russian Film Week will be held on November 25 to December 2, 2018 in landmark venues across London: BFI Southbank, Regent Street Cinema, Curzon Mayfair, Empire IMAX Leicester Square as well as in Edinburgh, Cambridge and Oxford. The eight-day festival celebrates the best of new films from Russian filmmakers worldwide and promotes Russian cinema while bridging the gap between Russian cinematography and the western world. “We believe that at the time of political tensions, it’s more important than ever to build cross-cultural bridges between Russia and the UK. We need to reach across the divide and collaborate effectively on the world’s stage. This very idea – that by bringing people together we can increase global harmony and nurture peace – is the foundation on which Russian film week was built”, said Filip Perkon, Founder and General Producer of the Russian Film Week and the Golden Unicorn Awards. This year over 50 film submissions were received, ranging from historical and political dramas, art house movies, action films to documentaries and short films. Russian Film Week will be opened by Avdotya Smirnova's drama ‘Istoriya odnogo naznacheniya’ (‘The Story of an Appointment’). It collected the Gorin prize for the best script at Russia's main national film festival Kinotavr – the story is based on real life events, showing an episode from Russian literary giant Leo Tolstoy’s life. The opening night will be held at the largest screen in the UK – Empire IMAX Leicester Square. Other seasonal highlights include Kirill Serebrennikov’s biographical film ‘Leto’ (‘Summer’), awarded at Cannes Film Festival for its music, and ‘Sobibor’, Russia’s foreign-language film Oscar submission 2018. The film is the debut feature for actor-turned-director Konstantin Khabensky, starred in Hollywood films 'Wanted' (2008) and 'World War Z' (2013). ‘Sobibor’ is focused on the story of an uprising in the Sobibor Nazi extermination camp in 1943, led by Soviet officer Alexander Pechersky, played by Konstantin Khabensky. The picture also stars Christopher Lambert and Karl Frenzel. Another actor, Danila Kozlovsky, known for his roles in Hollywood’s fantasy 'Vampire Academy' (2014), BBC series 'McMafia' (2018) and numerous Russian blockbusters, will present his debut project, sports drama ‘Trener’ (‘Coach’), the Russian premiere of which was timed to the FIFA World Cup 2018.Besides the opportunity to see new Russian releases, the guests will have the chance to meet the filmmakers at Q&A sessions, masterclasses, workshops, seminars, public talks and film art exhibitions. This year will include Vladimir Mashkov, Konstantin Khabensky, Danila Kozlovsky, Avdotya Smirnova, Fedor Bondarchuk, Marina Zudina, Ivan Okhlobystin and other experts of Russian film industry. The festival culminates in the Golden Unicorn Awards ceremony designed to recognise excellence in 9 nominations, including the Best Foreign Film About Russia. The voting process reflects this cross-cultural idea of the Russian Film Week, meaning all films will be judged by an international jury under the lead of the renowned British and Hollywood actor Brian Cox. The awards ceremony is expected to be another spectacular show featuring global actors on the red carpet and Charity Gala Dinner in aid of Natalia Vodianova’s Naked Heart Foundation. Russian Film Week and the Golden Unicorn was founded in 2016 by Filip Perkon (Perkon Productions Ltd.) with a group of volunteers on a non-profit basis. From 2017 the festival is supported by the Russian Ministry of Culture, Synergy University, and the BFI.

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Perkon Productions, the organizer of the Russian Film Week and the Golden Unicorn Awards, is happy to announce the UK release of the film Mathilde.   The film will be screened at Odeon Cinemas across Britain for three days only, from April 20 to 22, 2018. This sumptuous historical drama directed by Alexey Uchitel tells a fascinating story about the relationship between ballerina Mathilde Kshesinskaya and the future tsar Nicholas II. The film has received the Audience Choice Golden Unicorn Award at the Russian Film Week-2017. Some call it the most scandalous Russian film; some call it the most visually stunning Russian motion picture of 2017. The UK-wide release is meant to give the viewer an opportunity to decide for him- or herself. “It seems to us especially important to maintain cultural ties between our two countries, especially in the current difficult political situation, – says Filip Perkon, RFW General producer. – The success of the current release of Mathilde will determine further promotion of Russian films on the British market.” The film release is simultaneous in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Oxford, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds and 15 other locations across Britain. Tickets can be obtained at participating Odeon cinemas or online – all information is available by following this link.

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Golden Unicorn Awards and Russian Film Week in the UK:
Loveless becomes favorite with international jury, viewers choose Mathilde
 

10,000 viewers, 57 films, 28 venues in 3 cities. These are just the bare facts of the II Russian Film Week that has just came to its grand finale with the Golden Unicorn Awards on Saturday, November 25th and the closing ceremony with the UK premiere of Mathilde the next day.

Alexei Uchitel’s film arrived to London on a trail of huge publicity and controversy and became an indisputable winner of the Audience Choice Award. BFI’s NFT1 was sold out in a matter of hours and organisers had to set up an additional screening.

Mathilde came ahead of many favourites, such as Arrhythmia and Loveless.

Andrei Zvyagintsev’s Loveless, however, won most plaudits from the international jury. It has won the Golden Unicorn Awards in three nominations: Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Actress.

The Awards were created to recognise the achievements of Russian filmmakers and actors and also worldwide filmmakers who chose to make films about Russia, set in Russia or based on Russian literature. This reflects the cross-cultural mission of the Russian Film Week – building bridges of mutual understanding and cooperation.

The voting process reflects this cross-cultural idea: Russian films are from now on judged by an international jury, which this year included the renowned British and Hollywood actor Brian Cox, co-founder of the London Film Academy Anna McDonald, The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, BFI’s Head of Programming and Acquisitions Stuart Brown and others (for the complete list please go to: www.russianfilmweek.org).

“In this age of great division between Eastern and Western cultures, and the intransigence of certain political elements, the great hope is in the art, the great hope is in the creativity, - says Brian Cox, president of the jury, - The fact is, that the artists of any given culture create a unification, create a bond, that is immediately understood by all artists, and they share it. This is the antithesis of what the political climate is and that's why something like this film festival is so important to encourage. It is so important that we acknowledge it and it's important that we support it. Finally, I am very proud to have been part of it...”

Foreign films about Russia, where the action takes place in Russia, or the ones that are based on the works of Russian authors, are now judged by a separate Russian jury, which in 2017 included Viasat World CEO Irina Gofman, former President of the Republic of Kalmykia and FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, film critic Olga Sherwood, Hollywood producer Alexander Shapiro.

“This is the second year running that we have our awards and it is already
well-respected and considered prestigious and we are very much grateful for the support we’ve got this year from EFG, Savills, Viasat World, Waterstones, Gazprom Marketing. I am glad that such good meaningful and powerful films from various genres were featured in the nominations, - says Filip Perkon, the festival’s General producer. - We show the best of Russian cinema. As for foreign films about
Russia, there were so many of them this year, good and exciting, that we had to create two nominations –  for features and documentaries”.

The awards ceremony was held at The Langham Ballroom and was covered by Viasat World TV1000 Russian Cinema that has recently been launched in the UK. (footage available from VIASAT free of charge)

The winners of the Golden Unicorn Awards 2017:
Best Film:
Loveless (Andrey Zvyagintsev)
Best Screenplay:
Loveless (Oleg Negin, Andrey Zvyagintsev)
Best Actor:
Aleksandr Yatsenko (Arrhythmia) 
Best Actress:
Maryana Spivak (Loveless) 
Best Emerging Talent:
Daria Zhovner (Closeness) 
Best Short Film:
The Law of Excluded Third (Alexandra Sokolovskaya)
Best Documentary:
Lake Vostok. Mountains of Madness (Ekaterina Eremenko)
Best Animation Film:
Listening to Beеthoven (Garri Bardin)
Best Foreign Film with a Russian connection:
Lady Macbeth (William Oldroyd)
Best Foreign Documentary Film:
Oleg and the Rare Arts (Andres Duque)

In 2017, which was declared the Year of Ecology in Russia, the Russian Film Week in cooperation with Synergy University, the festival’s partner and co-producer, held a special competition for the Best Student Short Film on the Theme of Ecology. Maxim Arbugaev’s film The Mushers has won the Golden Unicorn-Synergy Award in this nomination.

The special Bright Future prize sponsored by Cultural Solidarity Media was awarded to young film producer Ilya Stewart.

In 2017 a new special Golden Unicorn Award For the Contribution to World Cinema was established. Alexei Uchitel became the first recipient. The prize, in addition to the unicorn statuette, included a pair of diamond-encrusted cufflinks provided by a sponsor, the jewellery company Geraldo. "Indeed, Geraldo Jewellery creations were inspired by the historic period of the Russian empire under Tsar Nicholas II”, - says Geraldo’s Ben Kams, he praised the film Mathildeas visually stunning.

The Awards Ceremony took place at The Langham Ballroom over a gala evening with an exquisite dinner by chefs Albert and Michel Roux and was followed by a charity auction to raise funds for the WWF UK Save the Amur Tiger project.

Each year Russian Film Week partners with a specific charity organization. For the Year of Ecology WWF has become a charity partner. All the proceeds from the auction and all personal donations go directly to the foundation. A lot provided by Alexei Uchitel – an opportunity to star in film Battleproduced by him, managed to raise £12,000.

The Awards Ceremony was attended by more than 100 Russian film directors, producers and actors, including Andrey Zvyagintsev, Alexey Uchitel, Valery Todorovsky. Other guests of honour were present at the ceremony: entrepreneur, Badoo’s creator Andrey Andreev, Death of Stalin scriptwriter Peter Fellows, actors Sami Naceri (film Taxi), Olga Kurylenko and many more.
Exclusive entertainment was provided by the Russian rock-legend Boris Grebenshikov and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Polina.
The unique unicorn statuettes are Bohemian crystal glass containing 24 carat goldleaf and handmade.

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Russian Film Week has opened on Sunday, 19^th November with a screening of a sci-fi film “Attraction” by Fedor Bondarchuk at the Science Museum IMAX with an after-party in the museum’s fantastic interiors. The director himself was there to present his new feature and answer questions, first at the press conference, and later at a sold out public screening.

The speakers at the press-conference were Filip Perkon and Masha Alexandrova of the Russian Film Week, as well as the  “Attraction” UK distributor Mirza-Javed, Director of Bill Melendez Productions and Lucy Sargent, Head of Philanthropy at WWF, one of the festival’s partneрс.

The RFW founder Filip Perkon made a brief presentation having mentioned that the festival has doubled in size compared to the previous year - both in terms of screenings and the number of satellite events: masterclasses, exhibitions, talks. He also thanked the sponsors, which include the festival co–producer Synergy University, Gazprom Marketing and Trading, Waterstones, Blavatnik Family Foundation, Cultural Solidarity Madia and Eastern Seasons.

RFW partners list has also grown and has added this year BFI, Picturehouses, Curzon among many others. Every year Russian Film Week supports a charity organization. 2017 is the Ecology Year in Russia, so WWF has become a partner, which the festival is very proud of. Lucy Sargent stressed in her speech the importance of this collaboration that is aimed at raising funds for the WWF UK program to protect the Amur tigers in Russia.

For Mirza-Javed “Attraction” has become his first Russian film distribution experience. He shared that the film hooked him from the very first minutes with its focus on people rather than action, its universality and the high quality of CGI. Fedor Bondarchuk told the audience how the idea for the film came up – it was inspired by the 2013 riots in Moscow, where there was an aggressive confrontation between locals and immigrants. The sci-fi genre about ‘aliens’ invading the city has become a metaphor to discuss the very real issues that we face every day in today’s world.

The screening was followed by an after-party in the main gallery of the museum with drinks, that included unusual blue champagne provided by Eden and canapés and DJ Sergey Mongayt’s playing a space-inspired set-list that was specially prepared for the occasion. 

Further screenings and events info: http://www.russianfilmweek.org/programme-2017_dates.html

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Russian Film Week (RFW) returns this year for the second time and is twice as big, marking it as the biggest cross-cultural Russian event to have taken place outside of Russia.

RFW aims to move beyond global politics and focus on bridging the widening gap between Russia and the West through culture. And while a handful of Russian filmmakers such as Eisenstein, Tarkovsky, or Andrey Zvyagintsev (‘Leviathan’, ‘Loveless’) have become well known in the West, the RFW mission is to bring the full scope of Russian cinema to an international market, and celebrate its artistic merit with global audiences.

Besides the highly anticipated sell-out films ‘Mathilde’ (Alexey Uchitel) and ‘Arrythmia’ (Boris Khlebnikov), RFW will deliver the best of Russian film in the last 18 months, demonstrating the depth, richness, variety, and impressive technological innovation that Russian cinema has to offer to the world. The line-up will include shorts, animation, documentary films and a diversity of genres.

“We believe that by creating an international platform for showcasing a panorama of Russian themed film, we can foster cultural dialogue and mutual understanding between the United Kingdom and Russia - says Filip Perkon, RFW General Producer. - For the second year running, we have selected the best contemporary films with a Russian theme, whether from Russia or other countries — based on Russian literature, people or events — and brought these in a diverse programme to cities across Great Britain.”

The programme will go beyond multiple film screenings with Q&A sessions, to include: exhibitions, talks, parties, masterclasses, industry events, designed to pave the way for positive future collaborations between British and Russian film professionals. RFW will also be putting on fascinating documentary screenings as part its FemFest, Revolution Centenary, and Ecology Days. Waterstones Piccadilly will host throughout the week free VR demonstrations provided by Russian VR Seasons and PlanetPics (Natural Treasures of Russia program).

RFW opens with a screening of ‘Attraction’ followed by an after-party against a backdrop of suspended planes and vintage cars at the Science Museum, climaxing with the BFI closing screening of ‘Mathilde’ & after-party on the 26th November, and Golden Unicorn Awards Charity Gala Dinner on the 25th. This is when the winners in 12 awards categories, including Best Foreign film About Russia, will be announced - as decided by a renowned international jury.

In attendance of the festival, will be over 75 of Russia’s most talented directors, producers and actors including: Fedor Bondarchuk, Alexander Yatsenko, Valery Todorovsky, Alyona Babenko, Anna Mikhalkova and Aleksey Uchitel. Guests of honour such as: Ralph Fiennes, Olga Kurylenko, Mike Newell, Baroness Gail Rebuck, and Samy Naceri will also be joining us to celebrate the best of Russian cinema.

“Events such as the Russian Film Week, contribute to strengthening mutual understanding and friendship between peoples, to overcoming social barriers and prejudices, - says the RFW Co-producer Vadim Lobov, Synergy University Executive Director. - Our University does a lot to support Russian culture abroad. We are happy to give the people of Britain the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the best works of Russian cinematographers within the framework of the Week.”

RFW shows incredible promise for the future having trebled in size within just a year, with this year’s partners including the BFI, Science Museum, PictureHouses, Curzon Cinemas, Ciné Lumière, Regent Street Cinema and more across the cities of London, Cambridge, and Edinburgh.

As 2017 is the Year of Ecology in Russia, RFW have teamed up with WWF UK to raise funds for the WWF Amur Tiger Conservation Project in Russia over the duration of the festival. RFW and Synergy University have also launched a special Student Ecology Short Film competition with a special Golden Unicorn–Synergy Award.

For more information about the Russian Film Week and Golden Unicorn Awards please attend the RFW press conference on 19th November at 4pm just before the Opening Ceremony (with a special press screening of the film ‘Attraction’ afterwards).

There will be amazing, out of this world, blue sparkling wine for all, kindly provided by Eden!
“The world’s first French blue sparkling wine was inspired by the creative industry and we are thrilled to share this experience with leading actors, directors and producers from Russia, Great Britain and other countries who are showcasing incredible talent during Russian Film Week, - said Aymeric V Bruneau, creator of Eden. – There is undoubtedly a strong connection between the goals of Eden and Russian Film Week: shake pre- conceptions and stereotypes and bring novelty and effervescence to the world of film.”

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