The New Season online cinema festival, hosted at Rosa Khutor in Sochi, celebrated a vibrant lineup of television and film projects from major streaming platforms. The event highlighted Sergei Ilyin’s film Matthew’s Passion, produced for the Start platform, which earned the festival’s Best Film award for the lineup’s standout work. The recognition, reported by RIA News, underscored the film’s emotional resonance and narrative strength, setting it apart in a competitive field.
Eduard Iloyan, serving as general producer and founder of Start online cinema, described the debuting director’s work as exceptionally warm, deeply felt, and pleasantly surprising among the portfolio he has overseen. Iloyan’s praise positioned Matthew’s Passion as a film that connects with audiences on a personal level while showcasing a fresh directorial voice emerging from a new talent.
In the Best Film category, second place went to Montevideo Unit, a project led by Tatyana Lyutaeva, with third going to Sleepwalkers, directed by Yuri Moroz. These placements reflected a diverse range of storytelling styles and thematic ambitions that the festival sought to champion across the streaming landscape.
The project The Boy’s Word, prepared for Wink and Start, drew attention as the most anticipated series of the festival. Its development signals a strong collaboration between production platforms and creators aiming to bring bold, character-driven television to wider audiences.
The Opening of the New Season award recognized Daria Moroz, who marked her debut in a director’s capacity while also appearing in the TV series Sex. Moroz’s dual role was acknowledged as a notable achievement within the festival’s narrative arc, highlighting the growing presence of versatile talent in the streaming ecosystem. She placed second in her category with the Before and After competition, illustrating the event’s openness to emerging voices across multiple formats.
Speaking about the overall mood of the festival, industry observers noted a sense of renewed momentum as more platforms — including Kion, Wink, Ivy, Okko, Start, Premier, and Kinopoisk — converged at the Rosa Khutor venue. A total of 15 TV series and six feature projects competed for victory, reflecting a robust slate that showcased both established franchises and new experimental works. The festival’s jury and audience responses underscored the vitality of independent storytelling within a market increasingly driven by streaming and digital distribution.
In conversations surrounding the festival, commentators also reflected on the evolving landscape of online cinema, where streaming platforms are competing to discover and elevate distinctive voices. The awards and recognitions served not only as a celebration of current projects but also as a signpost for future collaborations, investments, and creative opportunities across Canada and the United States. As the festival continued to gain traction, participants expressed optimism that the New Season would become a recurring beacon for high-quality, original content that resonates with diverse audiences and fosters cross-platform partnerships.
With the event’s continuation, industry stakeholders emphasized the importance of nurturing new talent while maintaining a rigorous standard for production quality and storytelling craft. The New Season festival thus emerged as a pivotal milestone in the ongoing evolution of contemporary online cinema, offering a platform for dynamic performances, innovative narratives, and strategic partnerships that extend beyond national borders.