Cinema: the art of creation

Over 170 films from 40 countries: the 31st Listapad Minsk International Film Festival unites cultures and speaks the language of creation 

From October 31st to November 7th, the capital of Belarus once again transformed into a centre for world cinema as the 31st Listapad Minsk International Film Festival opened its curtains. The main Belarusian film event stepped into its fourth decade this year, but has not lost its creative zeal. Throughout the years, the festival has been held under the patronage of the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko. Minsk once again became a meeting place for film directors, actors, film critics and all those who love cinema. The film festival showcased films from traditional participants such as Russia, China, India, Iran and Pakistan, as well as from newcomers — Vietnam, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea. The majority of the films had received recognition at other prestigious competitions, meaning the fight for the Grand Prix of our film forum was a serious one.

Closing ceremony of 2025 Listapad Film Festival at Moskva cinema            
Alisa Drugakova

Strength lies in overcoming difficulties

The film festival programme was more than packed. It included eight competition programmes — feature films, documentary films, animation films, Listapadzik film competition for children and youth audience, Cinema of the Young, a national film school competition and a national competition. Following proposals from the Belarusian Union of Cinematographers and the cinematographic community, a short film competition was added this year.  
The opening ceremony took place at the Palace of the Republic. On the red carpet, viewers were able to see their favourite actors, directors, jury members and film crews.
At the solemn ceremony, Belarus’ Deputy Prime Minister, Chairperson of the Film Festival Organising Committee Natalya Petkevich read out a welcoming address to the guests and participants of the film forum from the Belarusian leader. The special prize of the President of the Republic of Belarus, For Preservation and Promotion of Spirituality in Cinema, was awarded to People’s Artiste of Russia Dmitry Pevtsov.
The Chairman of the Film Festival, People’s Artiste of Belarus Aleksandr Yefremov, in keeping with tradition, smashed a plate against a tripod in style and said, “Art is capable of preserving and saving the world. Our film forum reveals talents, love for people, faith in them and hope that everything will be alright.”
The opening film of the festival was the Belarusian sports drama Turning Point directed by Dmitry Soroka, which tells the story of how strength lies not in victories, but in the ability to get up after a fall. On the screen is young Belarusian Mikhail Tsuba, who plays rowing champion Artyom Savichev. The film was created by an exclusively Belarusian team, bringing together young talents and seasoned professionals.

Authoritative opinion

The Chairman of the jury for the main feature film competition was film director Karen Shakhnazarov, Director General at Mosfilm. The jury also included Belarusian film director Ivan Pavlov, Honoured Artist of Uzbekistan Rustam Sagdullayev, Chinese film director and last year’s Listapad winner Zhang Zhong, and Italian film director Fabio Massa. 
The jury of the short film competition was headed by film director Vladimir Grammatikov, Honoured Art Worker of the Russian Federation.
Honoured Artiste of the Russian Federation Irina Shevchuk, who once immortalised herself in the role of Rita Osyanina in Stanislav Rostotsky’s war drama The Dawns Here Are Quiet, headed the jury of the Listapadzik competition of films for children and young people.
The Chairperson of the jury for the Cinema of the Young competition was well-known Serbian actress and film director Ivana Žigon. In addition, the jury included Uzbek film director and producer Yusup Razykov and young Belarusian film director Kirill Khaletsky, whose film Klassnaya [Lead Teacher] was recently screened in Belarus and Russia.

Film director Zaur Tsogoev (centre)               belta

Price of fame and talent

The main competition for feature films included 16 of the best films from different countries — the most relevant and striking full-length works created in live-action and mixed forms, with a running time of 52 minutes or more. The participants included winners and laureates of film festivals in Cannes, Venice and San Sebastián.
The first day of the festival featured the Sirat film — a prize winner at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The ‘sirat’ is a bridge between hell and heaven, life and death, illusions and enlightenment, and the heroes will have to cross this bridge.
It was also possible to see films from leading world film distributors, including the film My Grandfather by Russian director Svyatoslav Vlasov, starring People’s Artiste of Belarus and laureate of the Union State Prize Vladimir Gostyukhin, and Two People in One Life and a Dog by director Andrei Zaitsev.
The main competition for feature films this year was graced by the Vietnamese film about love, fame and inner strength, A Fragile Flower. The producer, film director and actress from Vietnam, Mai Thu Huyền, who played one of the main roles in this film, came to Belarus and admitted that she was very happy to be here. 
In the non-fiction film competition, Nikolai Burlyaev presented his new documentary Nikita, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of film director Nikita Mikhalkov. His co-author was the famous documentary filmmaker, Dmitry Chernetsov.
Also in this competition was the Belarusian–Russian documentary film by Nikolai Yefimovich, Maya Plisetskaya, the Unknown — the great ballerina’s ancestors hail from Belarus.
The short film competition became a leader in the number of applications submitted, with 2,200 entries. Audiences viewed 13 films from 12 countries.
Ten films from 13 countries were showcased in the Cinema of the Young competition programme. This year, the competition received approximately 340 applications from 45 countries, including the Italian film about the importance of spiritual connection, The Last Beautiful Thing, the innovative drama Happyend by Japanese director Neo Sora, and the Berlinale winner Cu Li Never Cries from Vietnam.
Six films, created in five countries, were unveiled at the Listapadzik film competition for children and youth audiences. It opened with the full-length feature film Tears of the Dragon, based on Buryat fairy tales and legends. Film director Tatiana Miroshnik, a member of the Russian Union of Cinematographers, believes that the film is not so much about the vicissitudes of the main characters as it is about the deepest feeling — love.

Over the past few days of the film festival, over 600 screenings of festival films were held across the country, which were watched by more than 25,000 people.

                                    












         Daria Titova

AWARDS

• The Listapad Gold Grand Prix for Best Feature Film was awarded to the Russian film, The Hunter by Zaur Tsogoev. 
• The Mikhail Ptashuk Prize for Best Directing of a feature film was awarded to German director and screenwriter Christian Petzold for Mirrors No. 3.
• People’s Artiste of the RSFSR Svetlana Kryuchkova won the Best Actress prize for her role in the feature film Two People in One Life and a Dog directed by Andrei Zaitsev. 
• The Best Actor prize went to People’s Artiste of Belarus Vladimir Gostyukhin for his work in the film My Grandfather by Svyatoslav Vlasov. The same poignant film about accepting one’s own lot and fate won Audience Award at the main feature film competition.
• The Yuri Marukhin Prize for Best Cinematography of a feature film was bestowed upon the representative of Iran, Mortez Kafuri, for Guardian of the Field. 
• Nikita by Nikolai Burlyaev and Dmitry Chernetsov received the Best Non-Fiction Film award, while The Tale of a Little Spark by Russian director Anastasia Lis was named as Best Animated Film.
• The main prize of Listapadzik went to the animated film from Montenegro, Planet 7693, directed by Gojko Berkuljan.
• The top prize in the short film competition, held this year for the first time, was claimed by China’s Rotten Spring directed by Qiu Yu.
• The Victor Turov Prize for Best Film in the Cinema of the Young competition was awarded to Iranian director Reza Keshavarz Haddad for Baq e Moz. 
• The Valery Rubinchik Prize for Best Directing in the Cinema of the Young competition was awarded to Neo Sora’s joint Japanese–American film Happyend.  
• Kira Nemirovich-Danchenko’s film, But love is the greater of these, became the best in the national film schools competition.
• Film director and screenwriter at Belteleradiocompany Anzhelika Novikova became the Best Non-Fiction Film prize-winner in the national competition for My Life is Khoroshki. Valentina Gayevaya. 
• The special award of President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, For Humanism and Spirituality in Cinema, was bestowed upon Zhang Zhong, the Chinese director of the film Story of Cotton Field, winner of the 2024 Listapad Gold Grand Prix. 

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