The winners of the ArtMasters Regions Championship have been determined

The final stage of the ArtMasters Regions Team Competition, which brought together young specialists from all federal districts of Russia, took place in Moscow on April 2-3. Seven groups in the Theater category presented their final projects and eight national teams in the Cinema direction — theatrical sketches and short films — at the Stanislavsky Electrotheater and at VGIK.

ArtMasters Regions is being held for the third time and is an important project within the framework of the ArtMasters Championship. Guided by the principle that the main resource of our system is a person, we pay special attention to the development of talents in the regions. The main goal of the project is to form professional teams and identify the most talented specialists throughout Russia. ArtMasters Regions promotes the development of Russian cinematography and theatrical business, creating a social elevator for young and promising personnel. Participants have the opportunity to realize their potential in their home regions and collaborate with leading theaters and film companies, which opens up broad prospects for further professional growth. At ArtMasters, we sincerely believe in the potential of each contestant and will be happy to contribute to their success and support them at every stage of their creative journey," said Borislav Volodin, Director of ANO ArtMasters.

The first place in the Theater category was taken by a sketch directed by Viktor Bugakov based on the novel by the famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov "Duel" from the team of the Central Federal District. The winning team received a cash prize of 1.6 million rubles for the implementation of a repertory performance at the Tver Academic Drama Theater, where the regional stage was held and a theatrical sketch was created.

The prizes in individual competencies were divided as follows:

• Playwright of the theater — Tatiana Kolyaseva, Moscow
• Set designer — Sofia Poplavskaya, Novosibirsk
• Makeup artist — Anna Mishina, Arkhangelsk
• The sound engineer of the theater is Robert Muradov, St. Petersburg
• Stage Manager — Valeria Alimova, Moscow
• Costume designer — Sultan Misrokov, Nalchik
• Lighting designer — Vasilisa Khudilova, Irkutsk
• Photographer — Mikhail Zhukov, Krasnodar

In the Cinema category, the winner was the team of the North Caucasus Federal District with the dramedy "As My Grandfather used to Say." The film directed by Zaur Tsogoev tells about the conflict of generations and reconciliation in the family of Ossetian Totradza: due to problems with obtaining a passport, the grandfather quarrels with his son, an official, but in the end the family reconciles and together restores the ancestral tower. The team won a certificate from the ArtMasters Production Center for the realization of a full-length film within two years.

Winners in individual competencies:

• Screenwriter — Polina Gerasimova, Kalach-on-Don
• Cinematographer of cinema and TV — Sergey Pusvatset, Abakan
• Film and Media Sound Engineer Pavel Romanenkov, Novosibirsk
• Director of editing — Natalia Tetenkina, Norilsk
• Media composer — Polina Gorbunova, Moscow
• Motion designer — Alexey Kozlov, Volgorechensk
• Costume designer — Anastasia Krivets, Vladikavkaz
• Photographer — Natalia Sharypina, Cherepovets

In addition, all laurets had the opportunity to participate in the accelerator of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, complete training and compete for a grant of up to 100 million rubles for the production of a feature film or theatrical production.

The preparation process was supervised by the main experts of the Championship, recognized leaders of modern Russian culture. The film direction is directed by film director, screenwriter and award—winning Yuri Bykov, as well as film producer and CEO of Movie Start Dmitry Yakunin. The Theater direction is directed by Sergey Tonyshev, as well as Maria Shishkina, Deputy Head of the Creative Department and Head of the Office of Drama and National Theaters at the Central Office of the Union of Theatrical Figures of the Russian Federation.

As part of the final stage, VGIK also hosted a round table entitled "The development of cinematography in the regions. Opportunities and limitations," at which experts discussed the development of cinematography in the regions of Russia, the results of the support and rental of films by regional film studios in 2025, and federal grant programs for cinematographers from the regions.

ArtMasters Regions is a large–scale team competition between teams of young professionals (18-35 years old) from all federal districts of Russia in two directions: Theater and Cinema. This year, more than 7,000 applications from 86 regions of the country were submitted to participate in the competition. 120 people from 52 regions of Russia made it to the final.

The competition is an important part of the ArtMasters ecosystem, which unites creative industry professionals. Participants gain access to a large-scale opportunity platform that supports talents through educational programs, grants, and collaborations. All ArtMasters projects are open to new participants and specialists from Russia and other countries. The ecosystem was created to unlock the creative potential of everyone with the support of business, government and experts in the field of creative industries.

ArtMasters Regions runs for about six months and includes several stages — from online selection and practical assignments to face-to-face productions and filming. Each team brings together representatives of eight creative and technical competencies. In the field of Cinema: Screenwriter, Director of editing, Media composer, Sound engineer of cinema and media, Motion designer, Costume designer, Photographer, Cinematographer of cinema and TV. In the direction of "Theater": Set designer, Theater Playwright, Lighting designer, Theater Sound Engineer, Stage manager, Costume designer, Make-up artist, Photographer.

On the eve of the final, the participants' works were shown in leading theaters and cultural centers of the federal districts of the country.