The Winter Festival announces the participants of the competition program

The 4th Open Russian Film Festival of author's cinema "Winter" opens the season of fresh author's stories. There are eight films in the competition program, each with its own unique look and mood. After the screenings, the audience is expected to meet with the authors and discuss the paintings in the Q&A format. It will be possible to get to the festival screenings for free, upon prior accreditation or registration on the website.

Participants of the competition program:

• Directed by actor Egor Beroev, "The Doll". This is the dramatic story of Nadia, a girl who made a terrible mistake in her youth. After serving her sentence, she tries to return to normal life and find a daughter born in prison, with the help of her friend Andrey. Nadia's subconscious and the great power of maternal love create a unique inner world through which the heroine now perceives reality. Starring Anna Pankratova, Nikita Tezin, Danila Krasnov, Egor Beroev and others.
• "The Boy and the Robot" takes viewers into a post—apocalyptic world where a young hero and his mechanical companion are heading towards the unknown with the sole purpose of finding the boy's father. Their journey is a story of friendship, humanity and faith in the light, even among the ruins, where every moment is a chance for a miracle. The film is directed by Ekaterina Zadorina, whose previous work has already received recognition: the short film debut "Two" won the main prize of the Kinotavr competition. Short Meter", and "Irrevocable Man" participated in the International Film Festival competition in Rotterdam and was awarded the SFCC prize.
• "Navar" is a neo-noir crime drama inspired by the VK group of the same name, where participants share stories about lucrative deals and profits. The plot centers on Shust, a petty crook whose life changes after meeting the former USSR shot put champion and his daughter Ulyana. The film stars Illarion Marov, Elizaveta Bazykina and Evgeny Sidikhin, and features rap musician Icegergert. The director is Artur Grigoriev, a graduate of the Moscow School of New Cinema, who made his debut with the short film "Station of Solace" (2016). His works have participated in international festivals, including the Moscow Film Festival, and the short film "Flock" (2023) won a prize at the IFKD "Spirit of Fire".
• "Pastures of the Gods" is a film dedicated to how a person exposes himself in extreme circumstances. The harsh Pamir Mountains reveal the depths of the characters' character and life motivations, forcing them to get out of their usual rut and make decisions on which life and death depend. At an altitude of several thousand meters, far from civilization, everyone faces themselves and gets what they deserve. The film stars Anton Filipenko, Danila Yakushev, Sukhrab Khaylobekov, Anna Viller, Vlad Kanopka and others. The director is Anar Abbasov, a graduate of VGIK (Alexey Uchitel's workshop), whose thesis "Gurban" was awarded a special jury prize at the International Short Film Festival in Clermont—Ferrand, and the feature-length debut "Amun" and the film "Battle" received awards from Russian and international festivals.
• ​​Svoboda is a social absurdist comedy, filmed as a play, centered on beautiful and brave women. They meet men and introduce them to their lifestyle, and they become part of the unique world of their chosen ones. This is an ironic pamphlet about the immodest charm of the bourgeoisie, made with love for the objects of irony. Evgeny Lavrentiev acted as the screenwriter, director, producer and narrator of the film. Lavrentiev is an experienced cinematographer, for whom Svoboda became the first independent full—length feature film shot on his own initiative.
• The film "Socialization" tells about Fedya, who, after moving from an Orthodox boarding school to a regular school, discovers a world of new emotions, friendship and first hobbies. Adolescent trials and internal conflicts change him and help him realize the importance of the values he received in childhood. Starring Peter Natarov, Oleg Savostyuk, Maria Andreeva, Peter Fedorov. The director is Anna Volkonskaya, a graduate of St. Petersburg State University, for whom "Socialization" became a feature—length debut.
• Vladimir Kott's new directorial work, the film "Cold Heart", takes the characters of Ostrovsky's "Snow Maiden" to a modern, half-empty village. Bobyl and Bobylikha are station keepers, Berendey is now a watchman, Lel is a fashionable DJ from Moscow, and Mizgir is a successful businessman from the regional center. The Snow Maiden remains the same — cold and attractive, capable of making all the men around her fall in love with her. Starring Masha Koshina, Slava Kopeikin, Nikita Kologrivy, Mila Yershova, Yuri Kuznetsov. Vladimir Kott is the author of films awarded by national and international festivals, the director of three parts of the "Disobedient" franchise, which became a hit in the domestic film distribution.
• "Scurvy" starring Nikita Yefremov tells the story of a young novice missionary who encounters the mysterious world of Yamal reindeer herders. Here, myths come to life, other gods rule, and he has to go through trials and falls in order to fulfill obedience, understand the north and find himself. On the edge of the earth, the most terrible disease always appears in the form of a beautiful woman. Directed by Vladimir Golovnev, winner of Russian and international film festivals, author of documentaries and feature films, including "Not of this World ...", "Curtain", "The Game", "Two Childhoods" and "Glad to see You".

"A total of 56 full-length works were submitted. A significant part is independent cinema, which, despite all the freedom of the author's expression, does not always have an even level of performance. At the same time, the share of projects supported by the Ministry of Culture is noticeably growing. This year's program turned out to be genre-diverse: it features an eco-thriller, a fairy tale, an absurdist black comedy, a social drama, dystopia, science fiction and other genre experiments. A curious trend in recent years is the widespread appearance of voiceover. Directors are increasingly using it as an additional expressive tool that allows them to directly broadcast the inner world of the characters, their reflections and feelings. The voiceover text often becomes a kind of voice of the hero's conscience, although sometimes it indicates a desire to compensate for the lack of other dramatic means," said Program director Natalia Mokritskaya.

The Winter Open Russian Auteur Film Festival is held with the aim of increasing the prestige of Russian cinema, promoting auteur films, summarizing the results of the film season and promoting the development of the film distribution system in Russia. The objectives of the festival include restoring the audience's interest in auteur cinema, supporting the creative search for a new film language, developing young talents and strengthening the authority of Russian cinema.