Kinotavr Film Festival

Kinotavr Film Festival
Photo: kinotavr.ru
The Kinotavr Film Festival, also known as the Sochi Open Russian Film Festival, is the largest national film festival in Russia. It was founded in 1991 by film producer, film critic and actor Mark Rudinstein and actor and film director Oleg Yankovsky.

In 1990, Mark Rudinstein organized the Festival of Un-bought Cinema in the city of Podolsk. The event was designed to support national cinema during the crisis of the film industry caused by the impending collapse of the Soviet Union. The festival was a success so it was decided to make it an annual event. The next year it moved to the resort city of Sochi, where it has been held since.

Famous Russian actor Oleg Yankovsky was the president of the festival from 1993 until his death in 2009. It was largely due to Yankovsky’s charisma and fame that Kinotavr has become so immensely popular and prestigious. The current festival director is Ukrainian and Russian film director, film producer and television executive Alexander Rodnyansky.

The name of the festival is a portmanteu of the words “cinema” and “centaur” or “Minotaur” in Russian. Its program features competition and off-competition screenings, special screenings, opening gala, closing gala, industry events (round tables, discussions, networking events, etc.), workshops and lectures conducted by seasoned filmmakers, and more. One of the festival’s main highlights is its project market for film school graduates which gives them a chance to pitch their projects.

The Kinotavr Film Festival hosts a competition for Russian-language films made in any country. The best film is awarded the Grand Prix. Other awards presented at the festival include Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Short Film, Best Cinematography, the Grigori Gorin Award for Best Screenplay, and the Mikael Tariverdiev Award for Best Music.

According to the organizers, the Kinotavr Film Festival is a place where cinema lovers, the press and industry professionals can enjoy the best that the Russian film industry has to offer. One of the most important film events in Russia, it brings together the top talents and helps discover new names.

Kinotavr Film Festival

Photo: kinotavr.ru



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