The Zabaikalsky International Film Festival is the first ever film festival to take place in Transbaikal, also known as Dauria, a mountainous region located to the east of Lake Baikal in Russia. Its main goals are to develop the culture and preserve the traditions of the Transbaikal region, to introduce local audiences to the best works of cinematic art from around the world, and to stimulate the development of the film industry in the region.
The inaugural Zabaikalsky International Film Festival took place in 2011. It screened feature, documentary and animated films made in Russia and nearby countries, such as Belarus, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Hungary, China, and Mongolia. The festival’s programming committee selected the films based on the principle of spirituality. According to the festival director, the program focused on films that inspired spectators to see the beauty in everyday things, become wiser, and strive to understand the meaning of life.
In 2012, a new team took over the Zabaikalsky International Film Festival and changed the concept of the event. Still, the festival continued to introduce the residents and guests of Chita to the best feature and documentary films made in Russia, Europe, Asia, and the Near East. Most of these films had never been screened in Chita before. This approach to programming has remained one of the festival’s cornerstones: the Zabaikalsky International Film Festival aims to showcase the best Russian and international films made during the past few years, many of which have received awards at the world’s most prestigious international film festivals.
The Zabaikalsky International Film Festival hosts a film competition. Its international jury consists of renowned film directors, screenwriters, producers and actors from different countries. Past jury presidents have included Russian actor Alexei Petrenko, Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi, Russian film directors Vladimir Khotinenko, Alexander Kott and Alla Surikova. The jury presents awards in several categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Script, Best Actress, and Best Actor.
Alongside competition screenings, the program of the festival includes special screenings, retrospectives, workshops, round table discussions, press conferences, industry events, and entertainment.
