The 24th Spirit of Fire International Film Debut Film Festival announced its program and jury

On March 4, the official press conference of the 24th Spirit of Fire International Film Debut Film Festival, which will take place in Khanty-Mansiysk from March 12 to 16, was held at the press center of the TASS news agency. Gazprom-Media Holding is the main media partner of the film festival.

The press conference was attended by the Governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, Ruslan Kukharuk, Director of the Department of Cinematography of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Anna Yarina, Vice President of the Film Festival Maria Zvereva, Chairman of the Festival Selection Committee Pyotr Shepotinnik, and Deputy Director of the Roscongress Foundation Elena Marinina.

They announced the participants of the festival’s competition programs and the composition of the international and Russian competition juries, presented the out-of-competition screenings, cultural, business, and educational programs, and spoke about the themed focus of 2026, Children in Cinema, as well as the international geography of the festival and the key events of the upcoming showcase.

In 2026, the festival received 630 applications from 39 countries, once again confirming the high international interest in Spirit of Fire and its key programs.

There were 52 applications for the international competition, 464 for the short film competition, 83 for Russian debuts, and 31 for the Your Cinema program.

Applications were received from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, USA, and Uzbekistan.

“Today we are seeing tremendous demand for national content, for understanding one’s roots through cinema. This trend is also reflected in the program of our festival. In the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, we have created a separate section dedicated to the diversity of cultures of the indigenous ethnic groups of our country. When addressing the topic of films about the people of the North, it is impossible not to mention the special Filmed in Yugra project. Its program features films created in our region that tell the stories of people who live here, work, preserve traditions, and create the future of Yugra. Another important change is the expansion of the festival venues. This year, the business and educational programs will be held at the National Center ‘Russia’ in Khanty-Mansiysk. It is symbolic that a place created to showcase the country’s achievements will become a center for dialogue about the future of cinema and the preservation of cultural heritage.”

Ruslan Kukharuk Governor of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra

“Debut films are a key area of support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Our task is to give young authors the opportunity to try themselves, regardless of their age, education, or previous professional experience. The main thing is the desire to communicate with the audience, the project, and the team that will help a debutant realize their first film. That is why festivals like Spirit of Fire play an important role: they create a space for dialogue where young filmmakers can present their work, exchange ideas, and find new partners for future projects.

We also pay great attention to children’s and family films. Today, it is especially important to speak to children in a language they understand, to convey through cinema the values and meanings that form the cultural and social foundation of future generations. Cinema is one of the most accessible and popular forms of art, and that is why it should help transmit spiritual and moral guidelines and unifying values. At the same time, international interest in Russian film festivals remains high. Every year, we see an increase in the number of applications and participation from authors from different countries, not only from the CIS, but also from India, China, and Latin American countries. This confirms that cultural dialogue continues, and festivals are becoming an important platform for sharing experience and developing international cooperation in cinema.”

Anna Yarina Director of the Department of Cinematography of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation

“24 years is a very long time for an international festival. Spirit of Fire is changing, growing, and it is alive. For any living organism, two things are important – genetics and living conditions. We are fine with genetics, because the festival was created by Sergei Solovyov – an incredibly talented person, open to new things and at the same time deeply respectful of tradition and mastery. We strive to preserve this genetic code: the festival remains a platform for debutants, but at the same time, masters are always present here, with special screenings and creative meetings where experience is passed on to young filmmakers.

We have also been incredibly lucky with our living conditions. First and foremost, with the region where the festival takes place. Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, creates truly unique conditions for the Spirit of Fire. There are modern venues and a high-quality technical base here, but most importantly, there is support from the region, which understands that access to culture and art is no less important for people than material living conditions. The themed focus of 2026 is ‘Children in Cinema.’ We deliberately chose this theme because children’s and family films shape the values and cultural code of future generations, and we see how children always come to our programs with great interest. As part of the festival, there will be an international Your Cinema children’s and youth competition program, educational events, workshops, and an animation laboratory. The cultural program also includes special events for children. A separate evening will be dedicated to the Gorky Film Studio, during which the all-Russian premiere of the film Adventures of the Yellow Suitcase will take place. Children of Yugra will be the first to see it, and the film will be presented by Yuliana Slashcheva. In addition, there will be a special screening of the film Buratino, presented by Fyodor Bondarchuk.In general, the festival’s cultural program is always very broad. We strive to bring not only films, but also theater projects and concerts. The program includes the Iz zhizni planet musical performance, dedicated to the unfilmed movies of the Thaw era: actor Oleg Nesterov tells stories of unrealized film projects from the 1960s, and the band Megapolis performs imaginary soundtracks for them. Audiences will also enjoy the fairy tale with The Scarlet Flower orchestra, featuring Kristina Babushkina, a concert by the band Bravo, and the festival will conclude with Aleksandra Ursulyak’s Good Songs concert-performance, dedicated to musical hits of past decades.”

Maria Zvereva Vice President of the Film Festival

She also introduced the jury. The international jury included:

· Wei Lu (China), jury chair, one of the most influential Chinese screenwriters known internationally

· Ndamo Damarise (Cameroon), actress, director, and public figure

· Jaime Cristian Noguera Martín (Spain), festival organizer, film critic, and writer

· Goran Radovanović (Serbia), screenwriter, director, and producer

· Yuliana Slashcheva (Russia), Chair of the Board of Directors of Soyuzmultfilm Studio and CEO of Gorky Film Studio for Children and Youth

The members of the Russian jury were:

· Andrey Proshkin, jury chair, film director, and screenwriter

· Evgeny Margulis, musician, composer, songwriter and performer, TV host, and actor

· Maria Solovyova, director of photography

· Aleksandra Ursulyak, theater and film actress

· Leonid Yarmolnik, theater, film, and television actor, radio and TV host, producer, and public figure

The festival’s opening film is Pierre Richard’s movie L’homme qui a vu l’ours qui a vu l’homme [The Man Who Saw the Bear]. Pierre Richard served as director, screenwriter, and lead actor in the film. The film’s executive producers are Ivan Samokhvalov and Gavriil Gordeev. The film’s first screening took place last year in Cannes.

Pyotr Shepotinnik announced the participants of the international and Russian debut competitions.

· International Debut Competition Films:

· Sorda [Deaf], director and screenwriter Eva Libertad García López, Spain

· Door Dar Mianeh Shargh [Far in the Middle of the East], director and screenwriter Arash Aneessee, Iran – Austria

· Shijie richu shi [All Quiet at Sunrise], director and screenwriter Xin Zhu, China

· A Vida Luminosa [The Luminous Life], director and screenwriter João Rosas, Portugal – France

· The Coin, director Emiliano Dante, Italy – Serbia

· La noche está marchándose ya [Night Is Fading Away], directors, screenwriters, and cinematographers Ezequiel Salinas, Ramiro Sonzini, Argentina

· Songs of the Moon King, director, screenwriter, and artist Nastasya Lapshina, Russia

· Shape of Momo, director Tribeny Rai, India, Republic of Korea

Films of the Russian Debut Competition:

· In the Mountains. He, director and screenwriter Said Tolgurov

· Greatness of Absence, directors SF9987ND (Sofya Fedorova, Nikita Dobrynin)

· Eclipse, director Igor Kagramanov

· Sanding Dreams, director and screenwriter Anton Mamykin

· Mari Fairy Tales, director Denis Shabliy

· Eigengrau, director and screenwriter Murad Beglyarov

Spirit of Fire is a leading debut film festival in Russia and abroad, and one of the main platforms for young directors. Its initiator in 2002 was People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, film director Sergei Solovyov, who remained the permanent president for almost twenty years. Since 2023, the new president of the festival is the world-renowned film director Emir Kusturica. The Spirit of Fire festival is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The festival has been held with the unwavering support of the Government of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra since its inception. Since 2007, the Spirit of Fire film festival has been held with the support of Gazprom Neft. The company acts as a co-organizer of the festival and its cultural and educational program, and awards the best Russian film in the “For Preserving Cultural Traditions” category. The festival’s communications partner is the Roscongress Foundation.

The main prize for the best debut film in the international competition, awarded with the Golden Taiga statuette, is one million rubles. The Silver Taiga prize is 400,000 rubles, and the Bronze Taiga is 200,000 rubles. The Flowers of Taiga Hope prize, which is awarded based on audience voting, is 150,000 rubles. The Sergei Solovyov Golden Taiga prize for the best domestic debut film has been increased to 700,000 rubles. The co-organizer of the film festival, Gazprom Neft, presents a special prize to a debut director in the Russian competition program For Preserving Cultural Traditions, which totals 800,000 rubles. The special Film-in-Progress competition offers a unique opportunity for projects in production to receive support for completion. The winner is awarded a grant of one million rubles. The communication partner prize of the film festival, the Roscongress Foundation, is awarded to the director of a film participating in the “Soul of Russia. World Cinema” international competition program for preserving traditional spiritual values in the world. This prize is one million rubles.