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Emphasis on youth cinema and Dmitry Astrakhan in the jury chair: we found out what the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad 2022 will be like

This year the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad is about eternal values. ‘True values’ is not only the slogan of the 28th Minsk International Film Festival, but also its essence: to show the public inspiring, subtle, truly kind cinema. As before, there will be very, very many high-quality films in the new film season. 1360 applications from 89 countries — such numbers have not been seen before in the forum’s management. Now the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad team is reviewing the works. It is planned that about 60 films will participate in the competition programme.

The forum will begin on November 4th and will last exactly one week. Viewers will be welcomed by the best venues in Minsk: the Tsentralny, Belarus and Pioneer cinemas. According to a long-term tradition, the red carpet will be laid out in front of the Moscow cinema. As for the programme, there are changes in it this year. Thus, the organisers put children’s films (also known as the Listapadzik film competition for children and youth audiences) and animation into a separate competition. The Youth Film Competition has also undergone transformation, Director General of the Belarusfilm National Film Studio Vladimir Karachevsky emphasises, “This year, instead of a competition, we decided to hold a large youth forum, which will be held at the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts on November 8th. There, the guys will show their short films, present student work, and share their experience with each other.”
Vladimir Karachevsky added that the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad will host an international pitching of film projects dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory in one of its days. “Also this year it was decided to make a big presentation of Belarusian cinema at the festival. We will present what domestic filmmakers are currently working on,” he said. 
The jury of the main feature film competition will be headed by a well-known Russian director, actor, longtime friend of the National Film Studio Dmitry Astrakhan. The animated film will be judged by last year’s winner of the special award of the President ‘For the preservation and development of the traditions of spirituality in cinema’, master of domestic animation Igor Volchek. Documentary films this time will be discussed by the jury, headed by a guest from Serbia, Jovan Markovic. But the General Director of the Tajikfilm film studio Mahmadsaid Shokhiyon will give his vote for Listapadzik films, he will be the chairman of the panel of judges.

By Yuliana Leonovich