Russian Film Festival - in the heart of the Balkans

From 27th November to 1st December, the Russian Film Festival will be held in Serbia. Viewers will see eight films: the fantastic blockbuster "Wish of the Fairy Fish" (At the Pike's Behest), family films "My Wild Friend", "Fiery Fox", "I'm Taking a Step", war dramas "First Oscar" and "Air", authorial film projects "Light" and "The Tales of Hoffmann" - participants in international film festivals. The event will be organized by ROSKINO with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Russia.

You will be able to watch films for free at the Russian House and the Roda Cineplex cinema in Belgrade (27th November - 1st December), Arena Cineplex in Novi Sad (28th November - 1st December) and Vilin Grad in Nis (29th November - 1st December).

During the Russian Film Festival, the fifth Russian-Serbian Cultural Forum will also be held, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade from the Nazi invaders. Earlier, in September 2024, joint cooperation between Russia and Serbia was discussed at the X St. Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures.

Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova: "We have close cooperation with Serbia in various areas of culture. Russian cinema has traditionally been warmly received in Serbia: films are shown both in cinemas and at Russian film festivals held in Serbia every year. In general, the mutual interest of Serbian and Russian audiences in national cinema is growing. Films from Russia participate in international film festivals in Serbia, and Serbian films also participate in festivals in Russia: for example, this year they were included in the program of the 46th Moscow International Film Festival."

ROSKINO General Director Elsa Antonova: "ROSKINO has been showing films in Serbia since 2022. During that time, we have screened a large number of popular Russian films. In addition, ROSKINO has held similar events in Russia: Days of Serbian Cinematography in Russia and visits by Serbian film directors of photography to explore potential filming locations in Russian cities. Serbian colleagues are interested in both the distribution of Russian films and joint film production: last year, as part of the screening of films in Serbia, we already presented a Russian-Serbian film; I hope there will be more. The program of the Russian Film Festival 2024 is diverse and includes both spectacular blockbusters and original films. Business meetings with representatives of the Serbian film industry are also planned as part of the event."

A delegation of Russian film directors of photography will participate in the festival: director Aleksei German Junior and production designer Elena Okopnaya ("Air"), director Olga Akatieva ("I'm Taking a Step"), producer Ekaterina Filippova ("The Tales of Hoffmann"), producer Grigory Podzemelny ("My Wild Friend"), screenwriter Alexandr Arkhipov ("Wish of the Fairy Fish" - At the Pike's Behest), director of the International Sales Department of the Central Partnership Nikolai Zlatopolsky ("First Oscar") and general director of ROSKINO Elsa Antonova.

Members of the delegation will hold a series of meetings with Serbian film directors of photography to discuss prospects for cooperation; representatives of the Russian film industry will also visit the University of Belgrade and meet with students of the Faculty of Arts.

The festival will open on 28th November at the Russian House (Belgrade). Viewers will see a historical blockbuster, a war drama - "Air" (2023) by Aleksei German Jr. The film tells the story of a detachment of Soviet military pilots during World War II. The world premiere took place at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival in Japan, in October 2023; the film participated in the Main Competition of the festival. "Air" became the highest-grossing war film of 2024 and was watched by over 1.5 million people.

Another war drama is "First Oscar" (2022) directed by Sergey Mokritskiy. The film is based on true events and tells the story of the creation of the documentary film "The Defeat of the German Armies near Moscow", which won the first Oscar in the history of the USSR.

The festival will also feature a film adaptation of a Russian folk tale - Alexandr Voitinsky 's film "Wish of the Fairy Fish" ("At the Pike's Behest"), which became one of the main Russian film hits of 2023. Impressive visual effects, hundreds of costumes, unique decorations will transport viewers to the world of a fairy tale where many characters of Russian folklore are united. The film fairy tale cashed almost 2.5 billion rubles during its screening.

The family melodrama "My Wild Friend" (2024) directed by Anna Kurbatova will present to viewers the story of the touching friendship between a boy and a fox, whom he saved from poachers. In October 2024, the film received two awards at the Isfahan International Film Festival for Children and Youth: the Young Jury Award for the Best Film and the CIFEJ Award.

Another melodrama, "I'm Taking a Step" (2023) by Olga Akatieva, is a film about overcoming oneself: the film tells the story of a young provincial literature teacher with dyslexia. For the first time in Russian cinema, the film raises the topic of the adaptation of a person with such a problem in society; The scientific consultant of the project is the Association of Parents of Children with Dyslexia.

"Fiery Fox" (2024) - a film shot at the intersection of documentary and feature film by director Dmitry Shpilenok. The creators of this unique film spent 26 months in the wilds of Kamchatka to capture the main character, a young fox named Wind. The viewer will see the world of wildlife of Kamchatka, one of the most picturesque regions of Russia, with unique natural parks and reserves.

The auteur cinema will present the films "Light" (2023) by Anton Kolomeets and "The Tales of Hoffmann" (2022) by Tina Barkalaya. The psychological drama "Light" about friendship, growing up, past traumas and rethinking life, received the main prize at the II International Festival of Debut Films of the Eurasian Continent "One Sixteenth". The comedy-drama "The Tales of Hoffmann", which had its world premiere at the 54th International Film Festival of India in 2023, is a story about a modern Cinderella, her self-confidence and the chance to change her destiny.

Russian Film Festival 2024 - complete program for Belgrade

Russian Film Festival 2024 - complete program for Novi Sad

*all screenings are held at Arena Cineplex cinema

Russian Film Festival 2024 - complete program for Nis

*all screenings are held at the Vilin Grad cinema

Confirmation

ROSKINO is a state organization that represents the Russian audiovisual industry at international festivals and film markets. 100% of the company's shares belong to the Federal Agency for State Property Management. In 2024, the company celebrates its centennial (ROSKINO is the legal successor to the Sovexportfilm organization, whose history dates back to 1924) www.roskino.orgwww.roskino.org

Photo: Russian Film Festival