2023-08-11 15:45:38
The 31st Russian Film Festival ended in Vyborg. For the first time it was called not “Window to Europe”, but “Vyborg”. Who made this decision, one can only guess. But at the closing ceremony, two fateful events occurred, thanks to which something will return to normal.
There were talks about changing the name a year ago, when the festival was headed by Armen Medvedev, a man of great authority, ex-minister of cinematography, an ironic film critic, whose voice was listened to by the powers that be. To replace under him the historical name, which goes back into the depths of time, was probably extremely difficult.
At the end of last year, Armen Nikolayevich passed away. This is a big loss for the festival. Medvedev was a kind of safe-conduct. And then either the leadership of the festival went ahead of the curve, or they pressed so hard that there was no choice left, but the “Window to Europe” slammed shut.
Alexander Drozdenko, Governor of the Leningrad Region, who arrived at the closing ceremony, made an unexpected statement: “Window to Europe” is a very correct and strong name, and may it always remain with us.” He remembered Peter the Great, told about the fences that our Finnish neighbors are building on the border, and she is very close to Vyborg. In general, the essence of his speech boiled down to the fact that we did not cut through the window, it was not for us to close it.
The announcement of revolutionary changes did not end there. General Producer Gevorg Nersesyan said that many had a presentiment: “The festival has traditions, it cannot work without a president. The President also worked secretly at this festival. This is Sergei Ursulyak.
The director of the films Russian Ragtime, The Long Goodbye, The Righteous Man, the series Liquidation, Isaev, Quiet Flows the Don, Life and Fate Sergei Ursulyak headed the jury of the gaming competition this year. He did not pretend, he opened the cards: “I will not pretend that I learned about this appointment together with the participants and guests during the final ceremony. Being the president of the festival is very responsible. I refused. But not for long. I think it’s time for our generation to give back to those people to whom we owe a lot. I’m talking about Savva Kulish, Vadim Abdrashitov, Marlen Khutsiev, Stanislav Rostotsky, Mikael Tariverdiev, Armen Medvedev (almost all of them created Window to Europe. – S.Kh.).
My consent is an attempt to give back to all these people, to Armen Medvedev, to whom I owe a lot in my life. And it is not at all necessary to consider that the office of president is for life. Let’s. let’s try. There is always an opportunity to correct a mistake.”
A little earlier, Sergei Ursulyak presented the main prize in the game competition to the film “Light” by Anton Kolomeyets. She was also awarded a special mention by the jury for the best acting ensemble, where Elena Yakovleva set the tone. The film also received first place in the program “Vyborg account”, which this year bears the name of Armen Medvedev. And they choose the winner there according to the results of the audience voting.
And here’s what’s interesting: the film, absolutely Soviet in spirit, as if shot not by a young director, but by a man of a past era, enjoys such success with a wide variety of viewers, including professionals. While the author’s, complex paintings were left without attention, and this is a bad sign for the festival.
Among the acting works, the jury noted Daria Savelyeva in “Hello, Mom” or Malakhova and the very young Timofey Kochnev in “The First Summer” debutant Sergei Ilyutin – another example of old-fashioned “daddy’s cinema.” As it turned out, Timofey was terrified to look at himself – this is always a test for an inexperienced artist. Receiving an award for the beautiful Daria Savelyeva, Iya Malakhova turned to all the actors: “You have a difficult job. Your liters of blood don’t pay off.”
There was plenty to choose from in the animation competition. Here, master Ivan Maksimov showed himself in an unexpected way, filming the charming “The Wrong Rug” – about a little girl who lost her apartment, as well as Yuri Tomilov’s “My Pushkin”, made in the spirit of Rezo Gabriadze, where young Alexander Sergeevich looks like a hedgehog.
And the winner was simultaneously tough and fragile “Wormwood-25” by Nadia Goldman – about women’s fears coming from childhood. The special prize “For the pictorial interpretation of a classic work” was received by the film adaptation of Pushkin’s “The Queen of Spades” – “Your Lady. Part 1 ”, a classic of the Ural sourdough by Valentin Olshvang.
In the documentary program, where paintings of very different levels were collected, the main award was given to “Fathers” by Yuri Mokienko, a student of Alexander Sokurov, already a St. Petersburg call. A light and gentle film tells about a family living in the countryside, where everyone participates in the filming of amateur films. They shoot it on the phone, and then show it to the neighbors in the forest clearing.
The Producers Guild Prize was awarded to Nina by Oksana Bychkova, produced by Ekaterina Filippova. The film took second place according to the results of voting in the competition “Vyborg Account”. On the sidelines, the passions caused by the disagreements between the creators of the picture that came out into the public space did not subside.
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