"Father" can: the Russian drama about the war won the audience award
The 48th Moscow International Film Festival ended in the capital on April 23. The best film of the main competition was the work from India "Passion". The film won the second award for the best female role. The Russian biographical drama Vygotsky has two statuettes. The audience Award goes to the Russian film about the Great Patriotic War "Father". See the Izvestia reportage about what other paintings you can't miss, as well as about the tears of the winners and the shoe lost on the red carpet.
"The choice must be uncompromising"
About two hundred paintings from several dozen countries were shown in the capital during the week. The film marathon of the 48th Moscow International Film Festival ended on April 23 at the walls of the Rossiya Theater on Pushkin Square. The winners of the competition programs were announced at the closing ceremony on this day. A few hours earlier, according to tradition, the participants, jury members and star guests of the festival walked the red carpet in anticipation.
Actor Vlad Prokhorov and casting director, producer and actress Natalia Gneusheva
This evening, the weather tested the stars once again. Due to the cold, many artists did not stop to give interviews to journalists, and hurriedly ran along the path to the ceremony hall. Famous producer Natalia Gneusheva even lost her shoe on the steps, like Cinderella.
Actress Ksenia Surkova, who two years earlier had her umbrella turned in the opposite direction by the wind right on the path, prudently put on a fur coat this time. Elizaveta Boyarskaya and Yanina Studilina posed in elegant black dresses. Zhenya Malakhova chose a dress with a luxurious skirt in two colors — gold and burgundy. Valeria Gaia Germanica and Kristina Asmus preferred white. Laysan Utyasheva chose a spectacular dress with a form-fitting black top with long sleeves and a white fluffy feathered skirt.
Actress, six-time winner of the World Cup in rhythmic gymnastics Laysan Utyasheva
"I feel warm, unlike many colleagues," Utyasheva laughed in an interview with Izvestia. — This is my first time here and now I am in such a creative rush! I am staging a theatrical and dance production and I came to be inspired because I believe that our cinema is the number one.
Polina Gukhman, Elena Zakharova, Dmitry Dyuzhev, Evgeny Gerasimov, Daria Ekamasova and Ivan I. also walked the red carpet. Tverdovsky. The latter were included in the jury of the main competition.
— A very strong competitive program, which is worthy of the best festivals, — said Tverdovsky film marathon. — The global trend is family relationships and problems within these relationships. We have seen a large number of works on this topic. The choice of the film that claims the main prize must be uncompromising. It should be a movie that all the jury members support. And in our case, that's exactly what happened.
Who received the prizes of the 48th MIFF
13 films from Russia, Italy, Spain, Romania, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Argentina, Iran, India, China and Mongolia competed for the victory in the main competition. The winner was "Passion" from India about toxic relationships. The painting received another award that evening. Indian actress Amrutha Krishnakumar was awarded for the best performance of a female role.
A shot from the movie "Passion"
The Russian biographical drama Vygotsky, about the life of an outstanding scientist and one of the main names in world psychology and pedagogy, also took two statuettes. Sergey Gilev was awarded for best actor, and Anton Bilzho, who directed the film, was awarded for directing.
"This is a fantastic gift! I dedicate this prize to my parents," Biljo said from the stage.
Directed by Anton Bilzho
Another Russian film in the main competition, the drama about the Great Patriotic War "Father", won the audience award. This is the story of a Siberian hunter who volunteers at the front to find his missing son.
"This is the best award for our film," said director Pavel Ivanov.
A frame from the movie "Father"
The Spanish-Romanian film "Retribution" by Daniel Guzman was awarded a special prize by the jury members. The film tells about pensioners who have to fight for their home. Going up on stage, the director kissed the statuette and said that culture is what will save the world.
"I am incredibly overwhelmed with emotions! Guzman confessed. — I discovered your amazing country and amazing people — incredible and kind. I'll run back to my homeland and tell everyone about it.
Directed by Daniel Guzman
The jury members unanimously named the melodrama "The Temperature of the Universe" by Viktor Shamirov as the best in the category "Russian Premieres". The director was inspired by the place itself — the village of Nizhny Arkhyz in the Caucasus, where the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences is located. He found this geographical point of contact between space and the past amazing. This is how the story of astrophysicist Natasha was born, who decides to surprise her husband for his birthday and suddenly finds out that he, while away, decided not to return to her.
— The jury unanimously chose the winner. This is a film with a soul in it," director Anton Maslov, who joined the jury, explained to Izvestia before the ceremony.
A frame from the movie "The Temperature of the Universe"
The documentary film competition was won by the film "The Long Way Home", which was shot by Chinese director Xuxong Zheng. His hero is a villager named Pan Zhaode. Exploring the fate of one person, the author talks about the problems of the era.
"Russian artist Ilya Repin, working on the painting "Boatmen on the Volga", wandered along the river for a long time and lived with ordinary boatmen. Great art is born from a combination of two forces — close observation of the world and deep sympathy for the fate of man. I think documentaries should be the same. I want to keep taking my camera with me and shooting where the light doesn't reach — simple little people who live an honest life," Xuxong Zheng said from the stage.
Directed by Xuxong Zheng
Separately, the jury of this nomination noted the work of Valeria Gaia Germanica "Masha". Experts called the heroine of her film the most sincere and courageous. She will be awarded a special diploma.
Director Huilin An (right)
The statuette in short meter was awarded to the film from the Republic of Korea "Nowhere — and yet somewhere". Director An Huilin came on stage with her mother, who couldn't hold back her tears.
What else is memorable about the 48th MIFF
A special event at the festival was the screening of the long-awaited continuation of Sergei Miroshnichenko's documentary series "Born in the USSR". The premiere took place within the framework of the non-competitive program "Free Thought".
The director began his project, which has become an epochal statement today, back in the 1980s. He chose children from different social groups who didn't look alike as his characters. They were united only by their age of seven and the fact that they were all born in the Soviet Union. He captured their lives and thoughts on camera. And then he returned to the guys again every seven years. A new chapter is dedicated to their 35th anniversary.
One of the traditions of the festival is the presentation of the "Advance" award, which the regulars call the white party among themselves because of the color of the dress code. The ceremony is held annually within the framework of the Moscow Film Festival by the KinoReporter magazine. Young promising actors become laureates. The winners were announced on April 17. This year, the statuettes were awarded to the star of "Lilies of the Valley" Sergey Gorodnichy, as well as Taisya Kalinina and Alexey Onezhen.
The last film by Wolfgang Becker
The closing film of the festival was the dramedy "Berlin Hero", the last work of German director Wolfgang Becker, who died in 2024 at the age of 70. In Russia, he is best known for the painting "Good Bye, Lenin!". It was shown here many years ago, at the 25th Moscow Film Festival. The guests of the festival warmly welcomed the fresh work. At the special screenings, the halls were packed, and the audience laughed approvingly from time to time.
A shot from the movie "Berlin Hero"
The film is based on Maxim Leo's best—selling book "The Hero from Friedrichstrasse Station". In the story, loser Michael Hartung is the owner of an unprofitable video rental and a drinker. Performed by Charlie Huebner, the image turned out to be charismatic. The hero's life is radically changed by one ridiculous mistake, when the same loser, journalist Alexander Landmann, comes to him. He is looking for a theme for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and is sure that Hartung once organized the largest escape of GDR citizens to Germany. The correspondent offers a large sum for the story, and his character, tempted by the opportunity to easily solve financial problems, is not averse to lying, not assuming that he will be on the front page.
A shot from the movie "Berlin Hero"
The knot of lies tightens so tightly that Hartung, whom even his daughter had previously considered indecisive and had been standing still for years, advertises vegan hero sausage, has an informal dinner with the president and is preparing to give a speech in the Bundestag.
This is a story about self-discovery, moral choice, and the courage to admit a mistake. Having fallen in love, Hartung, who almost lost touch with reality, is faced with a choice — which is more important: the bitter truth or the sweet lie.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
