Marks
Serafim Orekhanov’s suspenseful drama places the despair of a grim Orwellian world beside Tarkovsky’s intense psychological pull. It stands out as one of the festival’s strongest premieres. Set in 1953, Eva, the film’s heroine, works as an “eraser” who cleans from photographs the faces of people drawn to the NKVD. Her hard-nosed boss promises that the worst is over if she just stays patient. Yet fed up with both the regime and her job, Eva makes a bold, desperate choice to try to erase the source of the pervasive evil itself.
The story remains terrifying and timely, anchored by the extraordinary performance of Ksenia Rappoport, who is widely celebrated for delivering a remarkable heart-driven portrayal. While the film works as a complete tale on its own, there is a natural anticipation for a feature-length expansion. The directing and acting are convincing, and the overall pace refuses to waste time on frills.
How Maxim Didn’t Get X (Beep)
This film won Best Screenplay and is a fearless, contemporary satire from Vitaly Dudnik, a graduate of the Film and Television Industrial School. The central figure is an aspiring director who, in a bid to craft an uncompromising and honest film, makes a pact with his conscience that turns into a peculiar curse. To satisfy his new inner censor, the writer agrees to “clean up” his script, only to be struck by censorship himself, forcing him off the set. The obscenities of life start to stutter; obscene acts become obscured; banned products are masked in black squares. Maxim must choose between bowing to producers or defending his integrity against all odds.
Dudnik also stars in the film, with memorable appearances by Konstantin Khabensky and Yuri Bykov. The ensemble underscores a veteran’s reminder to newcomers that inner resolve matters as much as talent. It’s a humorous yet serious meditation on the hazards of censorship.
Tears Dripped into Pho-bo
The jury awarded this film a special prize. Sergei Filatov returns with a sharp, lively comedy that elicits laughter while exploring a desperate world. Sonya, a talented but struggling actress, is pushed toward cold, transactional choices by frustration. An unexpected phone call pulls her into a messy improvisation: Skull, a rough but emotionally exposed man, is secretly in love with his boss’s partner. His unreturned affection pushes him toward suicide, prompting Sonya to leave the script and use her art to save him. In the process, she discovers more about life, love, and professional purpose.
The film’s brisk energy, bold humor, and criminal jargon all fuse into a rare comedic spark that nevertheless carries weight and insight. Filatov’s work shines with eccentric, exuberant humor that satisfies a craving for genuine festival wit.
Click-Knock
Andrey Gordin’s debut stands out as one of the festival’s most poignant tales. In a quiet apartment, two strangers meet: a young man and an elderly woman. From the first moment, it’s clear this is their initial encounter, marked by hesitance on both sides. Yet the grieving young man carries a definite purpose, and the apartment’s owner—though a stranger—emerges as the single person who can ease his pain.
The film unfolds as a delicate, minimalist meditation on human connection and the search for intimacy in a world where everything finite except love seems eternal.
Red Dawn
Evgeny Dobrorodnov’s unpredictable graduation film nods to Tarantino’s boldness while drawing closer to the visual ferocity of modern South Korean cinema, where ultra-violence intertwines with a dramatic arc. The protagonist, played by Dobrorodnov, travels to a rural wasteland at the request of an ex-girlfriend whose current partner has vanished. What begins as a road movie evolves into a brutal family saga about a cannibal clan. The traveler must save more than himself, and the film’s stark cinematography—often static and restrained—amplifies the tension. Beneath the surface, it’s a parable about cyclical violence in nature, and Krasnaya Zarya earned a special jury diploma for its work.
Swept Deep into the Stars
Two festival prizes went to this animation: the special jury prize and Best Animation Work. Sergei Anfinogentov’s team crafted it over seven months, forging a remarkable panorama in which an astronaut, after a mysterious orbital accident, discovers an anomaly that reveals hidden truths about nature and the cosmos. The storytelling, while visually stunning, leaves room for a richer dramatic arc—an aspect that could benefit from a miniseries format. The journey invites viewers to learn more about the lead character and to explore themes of solitude and belonging in the vastness of space.
Communicators
A funny miniature by Anastasia Voronina, created in the style of a model. The program Paranormal Cherepovets recounts inexplicable regional phenomena, often with surprising heroes. The latest issue shifts when a local resident, Alexei, claims to have gained the ability to converse with aliens. As investigators chase fresh spectacle, the plot reveals unexpected twists.
Contactees is a piece sure to charm fans of Taika Waititi’s playful, offbeat humor. It blends the ridiculous with the uncanny, delivering a tale that’s light yet surprisingly insightful.
The ensemble delivers charm, with Nikita Frolov, a standout, and a gift for creating a comedic rhythm that makes the film feel alive on screen.
Fishing
Georgy Boldugerov, triumphantly recognized as festival best director, leads this story. Oleg, a parolee played by Sergei Gilev from Chick, heads out for a quiet fishing trip with his brother and two younger sons. The trip’s tranquillity unravels into a crime drama when a corpse appears in a lake, thrusting the family into a moral dilemma about coming forward to authorities or risking an inquiry without due process. The film interweaves a separate, child-centered subplot that reframes the incident through a lens of family dynamics, echoing a thematic blend of crime, drama, and coming-of-age nuance. It channels the sensibilities of Andrey Zvyagintsev’s The Return, fusing a crime anecdote with a family narrative to create a layered, thought-provoking piece about loss and responsibility.
Shurik
Young Sasha’s world is framed by a tense household where her grandmother, a formidable Rosa Khairullina, becomes a perilous force in the child’s life. The boy navigates a cramped apartment, sneaks onto the forbidden second floor, and struggles to keep fear from overtaking him as the grandmother’s actions edge into horror. Alexander Samsonov’s film is a stylish horror experience that balances mood, striking visuals, and a soundtrack that stays with the viewer long after the credits roll. It stands as a strong entry in contemporary cinematic dread.
In Depth
Lisa Starikova’s partly biographical animation follows a girl who begs her father for a submarine, equating the sea’s depths with monsters and a longing for parental attention. When the father sacrifices himself, the story pivots to a poignant examination of family ties, memory, and the child’s unbridled imagination. The film surveys the line between childhood perception and adult insight, delivering a piercing, sensory experience about love, fear, and the magic of seeing the world through a child’s eyes.
***
The festival also recognized cinema students who contributed to a new creative lab. The Best Film nomination went to First Hunt by Ekaterina Bartova, Best Idea to Dukhota by Vyacheslav Belomestnykh, and Best Director to Vladislav Emelin for Thursday – Fish Day, as announced by the festival jury.