During a sober awards ceremony in Kaliningrad, the winners of the 11th Koroche short and debut film festival were announced. Reports from TASS covered the event.
The best film in the short film competition went to I have to tell you something, directed by Yevgeni Maryan. The first prize in the debut film segment was awarded to Take and Remember, directed by Baibulat Batulla.
Maryan’s I have to tell you something tackles the topic of intersex identity. The story follows an 18-year-old orphan named Lilya, portrayed by Alexandra Bystrzhitskaya, who has just left a boarding school, found work, and entered a new relationship. A figure from her past surfaces and threatens to expose a secret she has kept hidden.
Take and Remember centers on six-year-old Ilham, played by Yunus Tairov, who spends the summer with his grandparents in a Tatars village. He longs for his parents, unaware that his father is absent and his mother perished in a plane crash. The grandfather suggests a game called Take and Remember, where the loser must fulfill the winner’s wish.
Elene Naveriani’s earlier Georgian drama received major recognition at the Sarajevo Film Festival. This year’s Koroche festival highlighted emerging voices from the region and reinforced the growing vitality of contemporary cinema in Eurasia.
The event showcased a blend of intimate storytelling, social themes, and cultural textures that resonate with diverse audiences in North America. Analysts note that festivals like Koroche help propel new directors onto larger stages, including audiences in the United States and Canada who seek fresh perspectives from regional cinema.