The ‘Children in Film’ theme is aligned with the campaign to address the Russian demographic crisis.

On Friday, the ‘Spirit of Fire’ Film Festival for Newcomers began in Khanty-Mansiysk, Siberia, with the participation of filmmakers from Spain, Argentina, Colombia, and Cuba.

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The festival was founded in 2002 by Russian filmmaker Sergei Solovyov, famous for the ‘Assa’ trilogy, and is currently directed by Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica. The competition includes works from Italy, Portugal, Serbia, China, Iran, India, and Russia.

The main competition features Spanish filmmakers Eva Libertad Garcia and Nuria Muñoz with ‘Sorda’, and Argentinian filmmakers Ezequiel Salinas and Ramiro Soncini.

Filmmaker Eliana Niño presents the Colombian-Spanish co-production ‘Seeds’ in the children’s section, alongside Cuban animations by Ivette Avila Martin, Henry de Armas, and Ingrid Castellanos.

The festival’s theme is ‘Children in Film,’ aligned with the Russian campaign to address the demographic crisis in the periphery through “family-friendly films.”

The Taiga Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards, worth US$20,000, are complemented by prizes from Russian natural gas company Gazprom and the Roscongress Foundation.

There will be also debates, workshops, concerts, and the opening film, the comedy ‘The Man Who Saw the Bear Who Saw the Man,’ starring French actor Pierre Richard.

The jury includes Spanish writer and critic Jaime Cristian Noguera, former director of the Benalmadena International Short Film and Alternative Cinema Festival, who also created the Marbella Russian Film Festival and wrote screenplays such as ‘Miro Miro.’

teleSUR: JP

Source: EFE

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