Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Gazprom – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On March 4, the TASS news agency press center hosted the official press conference for the 24th International Debut Film Festival "Spirit of Fire," which will take place in Khanty-Mansiysk from March 12 to 16. Gazprom-Media Holding is the festival's main media partner.
The press conference was attended by Ruslan Kukharuk, Governor of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra; Anna Yarina, Director of the Cinematography Department of the Russian Ministry of Culture; Maria Zvereva, Vice President of the Film Festival; Petr Shepotinnik, Chair of the Film Festival Selection Committee; and Elena Marinina, Deputy Director of the Roscongress Foundation.
They announced the festival's competition program participants and the jury members for the international and Russian competitions, announced non-competition screenings, cultural, business, and educational programs, and spoke about the 2026 thematic focus—"Children in Cinema," as well as the festival's international reach and key events for the upcoming festival.
In 2026, 630 applications from 39 countries were received for participation in the festival, which once again confirms the high international interest in the Spirit of Fire and its key programs.
52 applications were submitted to the international competition, 464 to the short film competition, 83 to the Russian debuts competition, and 31 to the “Your Cinema” program.
They came from Australia, Austria, Argentina, Brazil, Hungary, Ghana, Germany, Greece, Egypt, Israel, India, Indonesia, Iran, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Canada, Qatar, China, Colombia, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sudan, the United States, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, France, Switzerland, and South Africa.
"Today, we see a tremendous demand for national content, for embracing our roots through film. This trend is reflected in our festival program. In the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, we have dedicated a separate section dedicated to the cultural diversity of our country's indigenous ethnic groups. Addressing the topic of films about the people of the North, it's impossible not to mention the special project "Shot in Yugra." Its program features films made in our region and tells the story of the people who live, work, preserve traditions, and shape Yugra's future. Another important change is the expansion of the festival's venues. This year, the National Center "Russia" in Khanty-Mansiysk will host business and educational programs. It's symbolic that the venue created to showcase the country's achievements will also become the center of dialogue about the future of cinema and the preservation of cultural heritage."
Ruslan Kukharuk, Governor of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra
"Debut films are one of the key areas of support from the Russian Ministry of Culture. Our goal is to give young filmmakers the opportunity to test their skills, regardless of age, education, or previous professional experience. The most important thing is a desire to engage with the audience, a project, and a team that can help the debutant realize their first film. This is why festivals like Spirit of Fire play a vital role: they create a space for dialogue where young filmmakers can present their work, exchange ideas, and find new partners for future projects. We also place great emphasis on children's and family films. Today, it is especially important to speak to children in a language they understand, conveying through film the values and meanings that shape the cultural and social foundation of future generations. Cinema is one of the most accessible and popular art forms, and that is why it should help convey spiritual and moral guidelines and unifying values. At the same time, international interest in Russian film festivals remains high. Every year, we see an increase in the number of applications and the participation of filmmakers from various countries—not only from the CIS, but also from India, China, and Latin America. This confirms that cultural dialogue continues, and festivals are becoming an important platform for exchanging experiences and developing international cooperation in cinema."
Anna Yarina, Director of the Cinematography Department of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
“24 years is a very long time for an international festival. The “spirit of fire” changes, grows, it is alive. For any living organism, two things are important – genetics and living conditions. Everything is fine with our genetics, because the festival was created by Sergei Solovyov – an incredibly talented person, open to new things and at the same time deeply respecting traditions and craftsmanship. We try to preserve this genetic code: the festival remains a platform for debutants, but at the same time, masters are always present here, special screenings and creative meetings are held, where experience is passed on to young filmmakers. We are incredibly lucky with our living conditions. First of all, with the region in which the festival is taking place. The Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra creates truly unique conditions for the “Spirit of Fire”. There are modern venues and high-quality technical facilities here, but the most important thing is support from the region, which understands that access to culture and art is no less important for people than material living conditions. The thematic focus for 2026 is “Children in Cinema.” We deliberately chose this topic because children’s and family cinema shapes the values and cultural code of future generations, and we see how children always come to our programs with great interest. As part of the festival, the international children’s and youth competition program “Your Cinema” will be presented, educational events, master classes and an animation laboratory will be held. The cultural program also includes special events for children. A separate evening will be dedicated to the Gorky Film Studio, during which the all-Russian premiere of the film “The Adventures of the Yellow Suitcase” will take place. The children of Ugra will be the first to see it, and the painting by Yulian Slashchev will be presented. In addition, there will be a special screening of the film “Pinocchio”, which will be presented by Fyodor Bondarchuk. In general, the cultural program of the festival is always very broad – we try to bring not only cinema, but also theatrical projects and concerts. The program includes a musical performance “From the Life of the Planets,” dedicated to unmade films of the Thaw era: actor Oleg Nesterov tells the stories of unrealized film projects of the 1960s, and the Megapolis group performs imaginary soundtracks for them. “The audience will also enjoy a fairy tale with the orchestra “The Scarlet Flower” with Kristina Babushkina, a concert by the group “Bravo”, and the festival will end with the performance-concert “Good Songs” by Alexandra Ursulyak, dedicated to the musical hits of past decades.”
Maria Zvereva, Vice President of the Film Festival
She also introduced the jury. The international jury included:
Lu Wei (China) — jury chairperson, one of the most influential Chinese screenwriters known on the international arena; Ndamo Damaris (Cameroon) — actress, director and public figure; Jaime Christian Noguera Martin (Spain) — festival organizer, film critic and writer; Goran Radovanović (Serbia) — screenwriter, director and producer; Yuliana Slashcheva (Russia) — chairperson of the board of directors of JSC Soyuzmultfilm Film Studio and general director of JSC Gorky Children's and Youth Film Studio.
The following became members of the Russian jury:
Andrey Proshkin – jury chairman, film director and screenwriter; Evgeny Margulis – musician, composer, songwriter and performer, TV presenter and actor; Maria Solovieva – director of photography; Alexandra Ursulyak – theater and film actress; Leonid Yarmolnik – theater, film and television actor, radio and TV presenter, producer and public figure.
The festival's opening film will be Pierre Richard's "The Man Who Saw a Bear Who Saw a Man." Pierre Richard directed, wrote, and starred in the film. Ivan Samokhvalov and Gavriil Gordeev served as executive producers. The film's first screening took place last year in Cannes.
Petr Shepotinnik announced the participants of the international and Russian debut competition.
Films in the International Debut Competition:“Deaf” (Sorda / Deaf), directed and written by Eva Libertad García López, Spain“Far in the Middle of the East” (Door dar mianeḥ shargh / Far in the Middle of the East), directed and written by Arash Anisi, Iran – Austria“All Quiet at Sunrise” (Shi jie ri chu shi / All Quiet at Sunrise), directed and written by Zhu Xin, China“The Luminous Life” (A Vida Luminosa / The Luminous Life), directed and written by João Rosas, Portugal – France“The Coin” (The Coin), directed by Emiliano Dante, Italy – Serbia“Night Is Fading Away” (La noche está marchándose ya / Night Is Fading Away), directed, written and filmed by Ezequiel Salinas, Ramiro Sonsini, Argentina; Songs of the Moon King, director, screenwriter, and artist; Nastasya Lapshina, Russia; Shape of Momo, director Tribeni Rai, India, Republic of Korea
Films from the Russian Debut Competition:
In the Mountains. He, directed and written by Said Tolgurov; Greatness of Absence, directed by SF9987ND (Sofia Fedorova, Nikita Dobrynin); Eclipse, directed by Igor Kagramanov; Sanding Dreams, directed and written by Anton Mamykin; Mari Fairy Tales, directed by Denis Shabliy; Eigengrau, directed and written by Murad Beglyarov
“Spirit of Fire” is the leading debut film festival in Russia and abroad and one of the main platforms for young directors. Its initiator in 2002 was People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, film director Sergei Solovyov, who remained the permanent president for almost twenty years. Since 2023, the new president of the festival is the famous world film director Emir Kusturica. The Spirit of Fire festival is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The festival has been held with the constant support of the Government of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra since its foundation. Since 2007, the Spirit of Fire film festival has been held with the support of Gazprom Neft. The company co-organizes the festival and its cultural and educational program and awards the best Russian film in the category “For the Preservation of Cultural Traditions.” The festival’s communication partner is the Roscongress Foundation. The main prize for the best debut film in the international competition, awarded with the Golden Taiga statuette, is one million rubles. The “Silver Taiga” prize is 400 thousand rubles, and the “Bronze Taiga” prize is 200 thousand rubles. The “Flowers of Taiga Hope” prize, which is awarded based on the results of audience voting, is 150 thousand rubles. The Golden Taiga prize named after Sergei Solovyov for the best domestic debut film has been increased to 700 thousand rubles. The co-organizer of the film festival, the Gazprom Neft company, awards a special prize to the debutant director of the Russian competition program “For the Preservation of Cultural Traditions”, the amount of which is 800 thousand rubles. The special Film-in-Production competition provides a unique opportunity for projects currently in production to receive support for completion. The winner is awarded a grant in the amount of one million rubles. The prize from the film festival’s communication partner, the Roscongress Foundation, is awarded to the director of a film participating in the International Competition Program “Soul of Russia. World Cinema” for the preservation of traditional spiritual values in the world. The size of this prize is one million rubles.
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