II International Film Festival for Children and Youth “Hero” started in Krasnoyarsk region

The Opening Ceremony of the II International Film Festival for Children and Youth “Hero” was held in the Cinema Park in Krasnoyarsk on May 19. Bright romantic comedy Vne zony dostupa (Offline) by Anna Kurbatova opened the festival and the feature-length films competition.

Oleg Chugunov, being a special guest of the festival and a famous young actor, presented the work of Anna Kurbatova. Oleg is also a leading actor and a star of the superhero thriller Major Grom: Plague Doctor that won hearts of the world.

Vne zony dostupa (Offline) is a moving story about three teenagers who refuse to use the Internet during the summer. They live together in a small village, enjoy the sunny season, and go on adventures, fall in love for the first time and test their friendship.

“I had a very challenging task because the story about first love cannot lie. I had to represent everything in detail, dive into the depth of emotions and truly feel them to bring it on the screen. Otherwise, why do you film?” said Oleg Chugunov.

Besides Krasnoyarsk, Hero Festival also started in several cities of the Krasnoyarsk region such as Norilsk, Divnogorsk, Aban and Uzhur. Denis Chernov and Tatyana Belova, who are the authors of the popular cartoon KikoRiki (Smeshariki), headed to Norilsk, the northernmost city of the festival, to present their new picture Finnick. The story about kind and funny spirit who lives in a house has already caught the fancy of the Russian viewers. Meet-the-artist event was held together with cartoon designers in Rodina cinema right after the show. They shared behind-the-scenes secrets of moviemaking and held a Q&A session. Finnick, being a breath-taking detective for children, will also take part in the feature-length films competition.

The first non-competition shows of the animated short films were held today in Regional Children's Library. Pictures from all over the world, from Moldova to the USA, were presented within the program “For children and teens”. Spectators got a chance not only to see the films but also to meet a young Russian movie star Vitalia Korniyenko. Being a 12-year-old actress, she has already starred in more that 90 films and series, including Chernobyl: Abyss by Danila Kozlovsky, Pishcheblok by Sreda Production Company, Ice 2 by Zhora Kryzhovnikov and other big projects.

Citizens and guests of the Krasnoyarsk region will have an opportunity to participate in a rich program full of big premieres and interesting meetings with leading filmmakers from Russia and the world in the nearest future.  

II International Film Festival for Children and Youth “Hero” is becoming one of the landmarks of the Krasnoyarsk region. This year the festival has captured the attention of filmmakers from more than 100 countries, which means that the region is building identity not only in Russia but also around the world. Moreover, the professional film festival for the younger generation allows us to solve many challenges, especially the most important one which is the revival of the traditions of children's cinema, - said Arkady Zinov, Minister of Culture of the Krasnoyarsk region at the Opening Ceremony of the Festival.

A number of 116 pictures from 36 countries including from Iran, Brazil, Egypt, Belarus and many others will be presented within the framework of competition and non-competition programs. Shows will take place at 18 locations in 5 cities of the region.

Reference Information:

II International Film Festival for Children and Youth “Hero” is the only one professional international competition for children and youth in Russia from Eastern Siberia to Sakhalin. The founder is the Ministry of Culture of the Krasnoyarsk region, the organizer is Krasnoyarsk State Autonomous Cultural Organization Enisey Kino. The festival takes place once in two years in the Krasnoyarsk region. The President of the festival is Vladimir Grammatikov, Honored Artist of Russia, film director, screenwriter, Disney Company creative producer. The Chairman of the Jury is Vladimir Alennikov, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, film director, screenwriter, writer, and producer.

Jury also consists foreign experts, and the program includes films from Russia and abroad. Meet-the-artist events as well as workshops, lectures, education laboratories, round table and discission platforms will be held during the forum.