The full program and schedule of the III International Film Festival for Children and Youth "Hero"

Full program and timetable of the III International Film Festival for Children and Youth “Hero” to be held on May 20-24, 2024 in five cities and towns of the Krasnoyarsk Region: Krasnoyarsk, Norilsk, Zelenogorsk, Nazarovo, and Balakhtan, has been announced. 

ADMISSION TO ALL FILM FESTIVAL EVENTS IS FREE.

Founder of the Film Festival: Ministry of Culture of the Krasnoyarsk Region, organizer: Yenisei Kino, Regional State Autonomous Institution of Culture (Yenisei Kino RSAIC)

The competition program of the III International Film Festival for Children and Youth “Hero” consists of films produced in Russia, Belarus, Egypt, Iran, India, Argentina, Netherlands, Mexico, and other countries. In total, the program presents 100 films from 28 countries of the world (including 52 premieres). 

The Official Opening Ceremony of the III International Film Festival for Children and Youth “Hero” will be held on May 20, at 7:00 p.m., at the main Festival Venue – Cinema Park cinema (Dubrovinskogo, 1i). The Ceremony will be attended by President of the Film Festival Vladimir Grammatikov, judge board members, honored guests and participants representing the competition program film crews.

To open the Festival, the Organizing Committee selected Suvorovets 1944 project by Novosibirsk cinematographers (directed by Denis Kazantsev, 2024, 6+). This is a story of a 13-year-old boy courageously defending his village and its residents while his father is away at the front line. The film will be presented and discussed with the audience by producer Igor Shibanov, featured actor Vsevolod Kazantsev and actress Alexandra Kazantseva.

Along with the Opening Ceremony, on May 20 the main nomination shows of the competition program will begin in all the Festival cities. Many of the films will be presented by their authors in person. After the shows, film discussions will be held.

FOREIGN FILMS ARE DEMONSTRATED IN ORIGINAL LANGUAGES WITH RUSSIAN SUBTITLES.

Apart from the competition and non-competition programs, the Festival also includes meet-the-artist sessions and workshops with famous actors and directors, round table events. The Festival will be attended by guests from Iran, China, Kyrgyzstan, and, of course, different regions of Russia: directors and actors, screenplay writers and producers. Amonth them, there are: famous cinema and voiceover actress Vitalia Kornienko (Aunt Marta, Home Alone, Home Alone, Silver Spoon in Sochi, The Red Five, Daddy’s Daughters: New); film director Andrei Bogatyrev (Vampires from Central Russia, White Nights, Red Ghost, Sambo Legend), Director of KikoRiki animation series, TEFI Kids and Golden Eagle award winner Denis Chernov; author and screenplay writer of the currently produced Yenisei Fairy Tales full-length animation film, Finnick, and KikoRiki projects Tatiana Belova; Chairman of the Board of Judges, film director, writer, cinema playwright, producer, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Vladimir Alenikov; President of the Festival, Soviet and Russian film director, cinema playwright, producer, cinema actor, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Professor of the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) Vladimir Grammatikov. Before the shows, they will present their current projects, conduct meet-the-artist sessions and workshops.

The Program and timetable of the III International Film Festival for Children and Youth “Hero” is available on the website: https://geroyfilm.ru/raspisanie-2024/ https://geroyfilm.ru/raspisanie-2024/

The non-competition program of the International Film Festival shown at the Festival Venues offers the following programs:
• program dedicated to the 100th birth anniversary of Victor Astafiev, including documentary films about the Siberian writers and feature films based on his stories;
• Program dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Foundation of Belarusfilm Studio, including shows of the best children’s and youth films produced by the Studio during its one century’s history;
• Yenisei Kino film stock show at the historical building of the studio in Krasnoyarsk. (May 21-23, Yenisei Kino, Regional State Autonomous Institution of Culture (Yenisei Kino RSAIC).

Moreover, the cities of the Film Festival “Hero” will host special events: shows of the special project of Yenisei Kino, RSAIC, titled Yenisei Meridian: To the Frontline, featuring the citizens of the Region taking part in the Special Military Operation or providing assistance to the military forces:
* May 21, 3 p.m., Norilsk: show of the cine-magazine Yenisei Meridian. To the Frontline. Oleg Shaldaev: Those I Saved Will Take Me to Heaven (Yenisei Kino, RSAIC, Russia, 2023, 29 min, 12+). After the show, the audience can meet the featured hero.

* May 21, 4 p.m., Krasnoyarsk, Cinema House (Art Attic):show of the cine-magazine Yenisei Meridian. To the Frontline. Olga and Alexei Yazevs (Yenisei Kino, RSAIC, Russia, 2023, 19 min, 12+). After the show, the audience can meet the featured heroes.

* May 23, 3 p.m., Balakhta: show of the cine-magazine Yenisei Meridian. To the Frontline. Olga and Alexei Yazevs (Yenisei Kino, RSAIC, Russia, 2023, 19 min, 12+). Show and discussion.

* May 23, 11 a.m., Nazarovo: show of the cine-magazine Yenisei Meridian. To the Frontline. Olga and Alexei Yazevs (Yenisei Kino, RSAIC, Russia, 2023, 19 min, 12+). Yenisei Meridian. To the Frontline. Boris Arefyev. Nazarovo Volunteers (Yenisei Kino, RSAIC, Russia, 2023, 12 min, 12+). After the show, the audience can meet the featured heroes.

* May 24, 5 p.m., Zelenogorsk: show of the cine-magazine Yenisei Meridian. To the Frontline. Olga and Alexei Yazevs (Yenisei Kino, RSAIC, Russia, 2023, 19 min, 12+). Yenisei Meridian. To the Frontline. Olesya Khomaiko and Zhanna Mandziy (Yenisei Kino, RSAIC, Russia, 2023, 7 min, 12+). After the show, the audience can meet the featured heroes.

The Closing Gala of the III International Film Festival for Children and Youth “Hero” will take place in Krasnoyarsk on May 24, 7 p.m., at the main Festival Venue, Cinema Part cinema (Dubrovinskogo, 1i). The winners of the competition program will be announced at the closing ceremony. Eight awards will be presented. They will be handed to the authors of the best full-length and short feature, animation, and documentary films.
Special attention should be paid to the special nomination Who Is Your Hero? presenting films produced by children aged under 18 years old.

Traditionally, after the end of the Film Festival “Hero”, the Echo of the International Festival will begin: the selected films will be shown at cinemas all around the Krasnoyarsk Region until June, 30.

BRIEF INFORMATION. FESTIVAL “HERO”
The Film Festival history began in 2018, when it first started as an All-Russian event. The international status was assigned to the Festival in 2020. In 2021, the Film Festival was included in the Law of the Krasnoyarsk Region No. 11-5188 of June 17, 2021 On Patriotic Education.

For three years, the Film Festival also offers a cinema school, the students of will take an active part of the teenagers’ discussion club after the competition program shows and other discussion events. Let us remind you that the cinema school was also organized in 2022 and 2023, and some of its alumni continued their education at higher educational institutions in Russia and abroad, studying cinema industry. The Film Festival program includes special premiere shows of the films produced by the cinema school students. 

The main mission of the Film Festival is to introduce children to the outstanding examples of contemporary Russian and international cinematography, build high spiritual and moral values, bring up aesthetic attitude of the children to the world around them, develop artistic taste, and help children master modern cinema and animation technologies.