On April 5, the official press conference of the 45th Moscow International Film Festival took place in the press center of the StandArt Hotel. The press conference featured a presentation of its competition program and naming the jury members for the current edition. The 45th MIFF will take place from 20 to 27 April in Moscow.
The press conference was attended by Chairman of the MIFF Selection Committee Ivan Kudryavtsev, the members of the Selection Committee: the film expert Yevgeniya Tirdatova, the film critic Yegor Moskvitin, the film critic and expert Sergei Lavrentyev, the member of the MIFF Short Film Competition Selection Committee Nadezhda Korolyova, and the curators of the Free Thought program and the MIFF Documentary Competition Grigory Libergal and Sergey Miroshnichenko.
The press conference announced the Jury of the Main Competition and the Short Film Competition and the films competing in the Main, Documentary and Short Film Competitions, and presented some details about the out-of-competition program.
Ivan Kudryavtsev congratulated everyone on the forthcoming 45th festival and spoke about the main trend of this year's program. Among others, the Russian and world cinema has been lately focused on the issues of youth and future generations.
"The pandemic was the time when the production of films entering the MIFF and other festival started. Locked down together with their families and loved ones, filmmakers discovered the emerging big gaps among various generations, which needed to be bridged, with common grounds to be found. Moreover, we have drawn up a separate competition program called "A Tough Age", which specifically focuses on this issue. Yet, overall, this theme is reflected from the opening film over to the Main Competition and out-of-competition programs", he commented.
Ivan Kudryavtsev also shared on this year's new feature. A dedicated Festival student pass will be issued for cinema school students enabling students from creative colleges to attend the show every day and participate in different events such as meetings with directors of the competition program, lectures, etc.
The MIFF has extended its geography this year. Various programs feature films from 60+ countries including Sweden, Bulgaria, Denmark, Thailand, Norway, Portugal, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, etc.
"Bullfinch" by the director Boris Khlebnikov based on the script by Boris Khlebnikov and Nataliya Meshchaninova and inspired by Georgiy Vladimov's novel "Three Minutes' Silence" will be the opening film of the Festival. The MIFF will close with the Spanish-French film "42 Seconds" by Àlex Murrull and Dani de la Orden about the fighting inner demons and the triumph of mind.
MAIN COMPETITION
Presenting the Main Competition, Yevgeniya Tirdatova listed 12 participating films including two Russian titles.
This year the jury of the MIFF Main Competition included the leading Indian filmmaker Rahul Rawail (Jury Chair), the actor and producer Aleksey Guskov (Russia), the actress Samal Yeslyamova (Kazakhstan), the actress Svetlana Ivanova (Russia), the director and screenwriter Ciro Guerra (Columbia).
Films of the Main Competition:
1. 14+ SEQUEL directed by Andrey Zaitsev, Russia
2. THE SCENT OF SIN directed by Nurul Alam Atiq, Bangladesh
3. THE DEADMAN'S BRIDE directed by Cornel Gheorghita, Romania, France
4. FIRST LOVE directed by Svetlana Proskurina, Russia
5. PARADISE LOST directed by Geng Wenxiao, China
6. ROAD TO SUCCESS directed by Sebastian Rodriguez, Argentina
7. TRAIL OF THE BEAST directed by Nenad Pavlovic, Serbia
8. THE ONES FROM BELOW directed by Alejandro Quiroga, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay
9. THREE BROTHERS directed by Francisco Paparella, Argentina, Chile
10. PHI1.618 directed by Theodore Ushev, Bulgaria, Canada
11. BLACK MOON directed by Tonatiuh Garcia, Mexico
12. DRIFTING FLOWERS, FLOWING DAYS directed by Yutaka Tsunemachi, Japan.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Sergey Miroshnichenko presented the documentary program of the Festival, listing seven films including three Russian titles.
Grigory Libergal introduced the jury of the Documentary Film competition, which included the Chinese director Yun Hao (Jury Chair), the director and producer Kim Jigon (Republic of Korea), and the director Julia Sergina (Russia).
Films of the Documentary Competition:
1. FATHERS directed by Yuriy Mokienko, Russia
2. INTO THE SHAOLIN directed by Hongyun Sun, China
3. MOM SHOKOUH HOUSE directed by Mehdi Bakshi Moghadam, Iran
4. LET ME WIN directed by Maria Finkelstein, Svetlana Muzychenko, Russia
5. ANNA AND THE EGYPTIAN DOCTOR directed by Taliya Finkel, Israel
6 THE VLADIMIR CENTRAL directed by Julia Bobkova, Russia
7. LA SINGLA directed by Paloma Zapata, Germany, Spain
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Nadezhda Korolyova noted the broad geography of the Short Film Competition – this year it features 16 films from 15 countries (Latin America, Asia, Europe). The program reflected the overarching trend of the Festival, with the participating films' themes focusing on family, family relationships, reaching mutual understanding with parents, attitudes to social networks, and Internet addiction.
The jury of the Short Film Competition included the director, screenwriter and actor Giorgio Cugno (Italy, Jury Chair), the theater, film and TV actress and producer Alyona Babenko (Russia), and the independent filmmaker Juboraj Shamim (Bangladesh).
Films of the Short Film Competition:
1. GEMINI directed by Orlando Mora Cabrera, Cuba
2. EVERYTHING directed by Lu Helai, China
3. GUAZUVIRÁ directed by Joaquin Araujo, Nicolas Sequeira, Uruguay
4. THE HOLE. STORY IN 9 SCENES directed by Pavel Korolko, Russia
5. NOT MY HOME directed by Sonia Stigliano, Argentina
6. GENTLE HUM OF SPRING directed by Simon Garez, Canada
7. THE NIGHT OF THE MONKEY directed by Heloise Haddad, France
8. WHERE IT BEGINS directed by Mohsen Asdaghpour, Amirhossein Talebi, Iran
9. HONEY ISLAND directed by Zhou Yan, China
10. PALESTINE 87 directed by Bilal Alkhatib, Palestine
11. REIMUS directed by Magdalena Jacob, Germany
12. COLLECTION OF EXTREMELY SHORT STORIES directed by Pedro Fraga Villaça, Brazil
13. SUSHI directed by Ivan Morales, Spain
14. FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS directed by Mohamad Ali, India, Syria
15. ELSA directed by Jean-Marc Guillier, France
16. YOUTUBERS directed by Jung-Bom-Sik, Korea.
RUSSIAN PREMIERE COMPETITION
Ivan Kudryavtsev shared the news that this year the Russian Premiere Competition featured seven films.
The jury of the Russian Premiere Competition included the director Aleksey Uchitel, the scriptwriter and producer Andrey Zolotarev, the theater, cinema and TV actress Anna Snatkina.
Films of the Russian Premiere Competition:
1. ADA directed by Stanislav Svetlov, Russia
2. JANE NOT SANE directed by Ivan Kapitonov, Russia
3. MONTEVIDEO UNIT directed by Tatiana Lyutaeva, Russia
4. THE EDGE OF THE BROKEN MOON directed by Svetlana Samoshina, Russia
5. SECRET PASSION directed by Stacy Venkova, Russia
6. CLEMENCY directed by Aynur Askarov, Russia
7. FOG directed by Natalya Gugueva, Russia.
The out-of-competition programs include "A Recipe for Success" featuring inspiring and motivational films about life, love, vocation, "A Tough Age" focusing on generation gaps, "Blockbusters from Around the World" featuring local highest-grossing films, "Russian Trace" about the Russian culture in films from different countries and "Around the World in 8 Days". The out-of-competition "Artcore" program focuses on films about various arts.
According to Yevgeniya Tirdatova, the two programs, "Night Over Chile" and "Russian Hollywood on the Seine", were put forward by the French and the Chileans.
The MIFF will also offer an Open Lecture Room, which will embrace all retrospective shows and will feature film discussions with spectators. The Lecture Room will also screen the program "Screen Wars. Episode IV: Cinema Strikes Back" offering early widescreen titles including Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita".
Yegor Moskvitin also presented two out-of-competition programs, which he had selected. The "Wild Nights" program will again feature high concept horror films and thrillers from around the globe ranging from Vietnam and India to Mongolia and Canada. In particular, it will present the Oscar nominated "578 Magnum" and the Swiss title "Mad Heidi" about the rule of a cheese tycoon.
Also, the "Episode One" series program will be presented again.
MERCURY JEWELLERY, THE OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE 45TH MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
This is already the third year that Mercury Jewellery has been partnering with the Moscow International Film Festival continuing the tradition of supporting the most significant cultural events in Russia.
The Mercury Jewellery company has manufactured the main prizes for the Festival: the figurines of Saint George riding a silver horse and slaying the dragon with a spear. The "Golden Saint George" figurine is made from gilded silver and the "Silver Saint George" figurine is made from silver. The foundation of the figurine featuring the Mercury logo in gold is made from adder stone. The "Golden Saint George" is awarded for the "Best film in the competition program" and for "Contribution into the World Cinema Art". The laureates in seven nominations are awarded with the "Silver Saint Georges".
Mercury Jewellery is also the author of a gilt silver chain with three medallions embossed with the main symbol of Moscow: Spasskaya Tower, St. Basil’s Cathedral and Saint George. This chain eponymizes the symbol of "power, wisdom and justice". The president of the cinema festival hands it to the chairman of the panel of judges of the Moscow International Cinema Festival as a token of respect and recognition.
The special prize for conquering the summits of the art of acting and faithful adherence to the principles of Stanislavsky’s school "I believe. Konstantin Stanislavsky" stands out for its original design.
Mercury Jewellery is renowned for the elegant and timeless design of jewellery, the high quality of its precious stones and jewellers’ excellent craftsmanship. All Mercury jewellery is made of 18K gold and precious stones: diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. The Brand’s collection comprises unique precious stones and haute joaillerie items in which the brand rightfully prides itself. All stones have international certification, and the items are provided by Mercury’s certificate of authenticity.
Mercury Jewellery is also well-known for its cultural projects and many years of supporting signature events in the cinema industry. Since 2016, the company has designed the awards of the Golden Eagle Cinema Award and created freshly designed MIFF awards. For many years, popular actresses have walked on festivals' red carpets wearing Mercury jewels.
The press conference was attended by Chairman of the MIFF Selection Committee Ivan Kudryavtsev, the members of the Selection Committee: the film expert Yevgeniya Tirdatova, the film critic Yegor Moskvitin, the film critic and expert Sergei Lavrentyev, the member of the MIFF Short Film Competition Selection Committee Nadezhda Korolyova, and the curators of the Free Thought program and the MIFF Documentary Competition Grigory Libergal and Sergey Miroshnichenko.
The press conference announced the Jury of the Main Competition and the Short Film Competition and the films competing in the Main, Documentary and Short Film Competitions, and presented some details about the out-of-competition program.
Ivan Kudryavtsev congratulated everyone on the forthcoming 45th festival and spoke about the main trend of this year's program. Among others, the Russian and world cinema has been lately focused on the issues of youth and future generations.
"The pandemic was the time when the production of films entering the MIFF and other festival started. Locked down together with their families and loved ones, filmmakers discovered the emerging big gaps among various generations, which needed to be bridged, with common grounds to be found. Moreover, we have drawn up a separate competition program called "A Tough Age", which specifically focuses on this issue. Yet, overall, this theme is reflected from the opening film over to the Main Competition and out-of-competition programs", he commented.
Ivan Kudryavtsev also shared on this year's new feature. A dedicated Festival student pass will be issued for cinema school students enabling students from creative colleges to attend the show every day and participate in different events such as meetings with directors of the competition program, lectures, etc.
The MIFF has extended its geography this year. Various programs feature films from 60+ countries including Sweden, Bulgaria, Denmark, Thailand, Norway, Portugal, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, etc.
"Bullfinch" by the director Boris Khlebnikov based on the script by Boris Khlebnikov and Nataliya Meshchaninova and inspired by Georgiy Vladimov's novel "Three Minutes' Silence" will be the opening film of the Festival. The MIFF will close with the Spanish-French film "42 Seconds" by Àlex Murrull and Dani de la Orden about the fighting inner demons and the triumph of mind.
MAIN COMPETITION
Presenting the Main Competition, Yevgeniya Tirdatova listed 12 participating films including two Russian titles.
This year the jury of the MIFF Main Competition included the leading Indian filmmaker Rahul Rawail (Jury Chair), the actor and producer Aleksey Guskov (Russia), the actress Samal Yeslyamova (Kazakhstan), the actress Svetlana Ivanova (Russia), the director and screenwriter Ciro Guerra (Columbia).
Films of the Main Competition:
1. 14+ SEQUEL directed by Andrey Zaitsev, Russia
2. THE SCENT OF SIN directed by Nurul Alam Atiq, Bangladesh
3. THE DEADMAN'S BRIDE directed by Cornel Gheorghita, Romania, France
4. FIRST LOVE directed by Svetlana Proskurina, Russia
5. PARADISE LOST directed by Geng Wenxiao, China
6. ROAD TO SUCCESS directed by Sebastian Rodriguez, Argentina
7. TRAIL OF THE BEAST directed by Nenad Pavlovic, Serbia
8. THE ONES FROM BELOW directed by Alejandro Quiroga, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay
9. THREE BROTHERS directed by Francisco Paparella, Argentina, Chile
10. PHI1.618 directed by Theodore Ushev, Bulgaria, Canada
11. BLACK MOON directed by Tonatiuh Garcia, Mexico
12. DRIFTING FLOWERS, FLOWING DAYS directed by Yutaka Tsunemachi, Japan.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Sergey Miroshnichenko presented the documentary program of the Festival, listing seven films including three Russian titles.
Grigory Libergal introduced the jury of the Documentary Film competition, which included the Chinese director Yun Hao (Jury Chair), the director and producer Kim Jigon (Republic of Korea), and the director Julia Sergina (Russia).
Films of the Documentary Competition:
1. FATHERS directed by Yuriy Mokienko, Russia
2. INTO THE SHAOLIN directed by Hongyun Sun, China
3. MOM SHOKOUH HOUSE directed by Mehdi Bakshi Moghadam, Iran
4. LET ME WIN directed by Maria Finkelstein, Svetlana Muzychenko, Russia
5. ANNA AND THE EGYPTIAN DOCTOR directed by Taliya Finkel, Israel
6 THE VLADIMIR CENTRAL directed by Julia Bobkova, Russia
7. LA SINGLA directed by Paloma Zapata, Germany, Spain
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Nadezhda Korolyova noted the broad geography of the Short Film Competition – this year it features 16 films from 15 countries (Latin America, Asia, Europe). The program reflected the overarching trend of the Festival, with the participating films' themes focusing on family, family relationships, reaching mutual understanding with parents, attitudes to social networks, and Internet addiction.
The jury of the Short Film Competition included the director, screenwriter and actor Giorgio Cugno (Italy, Jury Chair), the theater, film and TV actress and producer Alyona Babenko (Russia), and the independent filmmaker Juboraj Shamim (Bangladesh).
Films of the Short Film Competition:
1. GEMINI directed by Orlando Mora Cabrera, Cuba
2. EVERYTHING directed by Lu Helai, China
3. GUAZUVIRÁ directed by Joaquin Araujo, Nicolas Sequeira, Uruguay
4. THE HOLE. STORY IN 9 SCENES directed by Pavel Korolko, Russia
5. NOT MY HOME directed by Sonia Stigliano, Argentina
6. GENTLE HUM OF SPRING directed by Simon Garez, Canada
7. THE NIGHT OF THE MONKEY directed by Heloise Haddad, France
8. WHERE IT BEGINS directed by Mohsen Asdaghpour, Amirhossein Talebi, Iran
9. HONEY ISLAND directed by Zhou Yan, China
10. PALESTINE 87 directed by Bilal Alkhatib, Palestine
11. REIMUS directed by Magdalena Jacob, Germany
12. COLLECTION OF EXTREMELY SHORT STORIES directed by Pedro Fraga Villaça, Brazil
13. SUSHI directed by Ivan Morales, Spain
14. FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS directed by Mohamad Ali, India, Syria
15. ELSA directed by Jean-Marc Guillier, France
16. YOUTUBERS directed by Jung-Bom-Sik, Korea.
RUSSIAN PREMIERE COMPETITION
Ivan Kudryavtsev shared the news that this year the Russian Premiere Competition featured seven films.
The jury of the Russian Premiere Competition included the director Aleksey Uchitel, the scriptwriter and producer Andrey Zolotarev, the theater, cinema and TV actress Anna Snatkina.
Films of the Russian Premiere Competition:
1. ADA directed by Stanislav Svetlov, Russia
2. JANE NOT SANE directed by Ivan Kapitonov, Russia
3. MONTEVIDEO UNIT directed by Tatiana Lyutaeva, Russia
4. THE EDGE OF THE BROKEN MOON directed by Svetlana Samoshina, Russia
5. SECRET PASSION directed by Stacy Venkova, Russia
6. CLEMENCY directed by Aynur Askarov, Russia
7. FOG directed by Natalya Gugueva, Russia.
The out-of-competition programs include "A Recipe for Success" featuring inspiring and motivational films about life, love, vocation, "A Tough Age" focusing on generation gaps, "Blockbusters from Around the World" featuring local highest-grossing films, "Russian Trace" about the Russian culture in films from different countries and "Around the World in 8 Days". The out-of-competition "Artcore" program focuses on films about various arts.
According to Yevgeniya Tirdatova, the two programs, "Night Over Chile" and "Russian Hollywood on the Seine", were put forward by the French and the Chileans.
The MIFF will also offer an Open Lecture Room, which will embrace all retrospective shows and will feature film discussions with spectators. The Lecture Room will also screen the program "Screen Wars. Episode IV: Cinema Strikes Back" offering early widescreen titles including Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita".
Yegor Moskvitin also presented two out-of-competition programs, which he had selected. The "Wild Nights" program will again feature high concept horror films and thrillers from around the globe ranging from Vietnam and India to Mongolia and Canada. In particular, it will present the Oscar nominated "578 Magnum" and the Swiss title "Mad Heidi" about the rule of a cheese tycoon.
Also, the "Episode One" series program will be presented again.
MERCURY JEWELLERY, THE OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE 45TH MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
This is already the third year that Mercury Jewellery has been partnering with the Moscow International Film Festival continuing the tradition of supporting the most significant cultural events in Russia.
The Mercury Jewellery company has manufactured the main prizes for the Festival: the figurines of Saint George riding a silver horse and slaying the dragon with a spear. The "Golden Saint George" figurine is made from gilded silver and the "Silver Saint George" figurine is made from silver. The foundation of the figurine featuring the Mercury logo in gold is made from adder stone. The "Golden Saint George" is awarded for the "Best film in the competition program" and for "Contribution into the World Cinema Art". The laureates in seven nominations are awarded with the "Silver Saint Georges".
Mercury Jewellery is also the author of a gilt silver chain with three medallions embossed with the main symbol of Moscow: Spasskaya Tower, St. Basil’s Cathedral and Saint George. This chain eponymizes the symbol of "power, wisdom and justice". The president of the cinema festival hands it to the chairman of the panel of judges of the Moscow International Cinema Festival as a token of respect and recognition.
The special prize for conquering the summits of the art of acting and faithful adherence to the principles of Stanislavsky’s school "I believe. Konstantin Stanislavsky" stands out for its original design.
Mercury Jewellery is renowned for the elegant and timeless design of jewellery, the high quality of its precious stones and jewellers’ excellent craftsmanship. All Mercury jewellery is made of 18K gold and precious stones: diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. The Brand’s collection comprises unique precious stones and haute joaillerie items in which the brand rightfully prides itself. All stones have international certification, and the items are provided by Mercury’s certificate of authenticity.
Mercury Jewellery is also well-known for its cultural projects and many years of supporting signature events in the cinema industry. Since 2016, the company has designed the awards of the Golden Eagle Cinema Award and created freshly designed MIFF awards. For many years, popular actresses have walked on festivals' red carpets wearing Mercury jewels.