On March 1, on the eve of the “Spirit of Fire” festival, a session “Film festivals and their influence on the cultural environment and regional development” was held at the exhibition-forum “Russia”.
The event was held as part of the business program of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra. Experts discussed the role of festivals in the exchange of creative ideas and in creating a cultural environment, as well as the role of the state and business in supporting young talents and the influence of film festivals on the development of the creative sector of the regional economy.
Vice-president of the Spirit of Fire festival Maria Zvereva recalled the history of its creation: “The idea of the founder Sergei Solovyov was that the region, where a huge part of Russia’s wealth is produced, and the people who work there, have a chance for the same access to culture, which is in the center of the country. This is a very correct humanistic and cultural idea, so from the very beginning we were told to bring the best artists and the best films from all over the world to the festival.”
Director of the Department of Cinematography and Digital Development of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Dmitry Davidenko noted that the department currently provides support to 62 film festivals in Russia, of which 40 have international status. He also noted that each of the film festivals, regardless of whether it receives support from the state, is important for the industry as a whole and the development of the region where it takes place.
“It is very important that films at festivals are presented by the creators themselves, the authors of the films. When viewers, after watching a movie, hear directly from the author about the concept of the film, about why this film was made, this inspires someone later to come, for example, to VGIK, to get a profession and try themselves in the field of film production,” - says Dmitry Davidenko. According to him, film festivals are a kind of guides that offer viewers specific programs that have undergone preliminary professional selection.
This year, the XXII International Film Debut Festival “Spirit of Fire” will be held from March 23 to 26 in Khanty-Mansiysk.
