The XXIV International Debut Film Festival “Spirit of Fire” Opens in Khanty-Mansiysk

On March 13, the opening ceremony of the XXIV International Debut Film Festival “Spirit of Fire” took place in Khanty-Mansiysk. The ceremonial event was held at the Ugra-Classic Concert and Theater Center.

“Spirit of Fire” is considered one of the most important platforms for debut films, discovering new names and giving young directors the opportunity to make a name for themselves. Every year, the festival brings together actors, directors, and representatives of the film industry from Russia and other countries in Khanty-Mansiysk. The thematic focus of the festival in 2026 is ‘Children in Cinema’.

Walking the red carpet at the opening ceremony were Emir Kusturica, Mariya Zvereva, Leonid Yarmolnik, Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Yuliana Slashcheva, Leonid Kanevsky, Sofia Lebedeva, Aleksey Frandetti, Evgeny Margulis, Vladimir Kanukhin, Anna Savranskaya, Daria Vereshchagina, Danila Krasnov, Grigory Kalinin, Ekaterina Channova, Aram Vardavanyan, Stasya Tolstaya, Sergey Tsigal, and Elena Marinina, as well as participants of the Russian and international competitions, out-of-competition screenings, and the festival’s business program.

The ceremony was hosted by theater, film, and television actress Elizaveta Boyarskaya and opera singer Elchin Azizov. The festival’s opening was designed as a journey into the world of cinema. The evening began with a symbolic announcement of the arrival of the flight ‘The Whole World — Khanty-Mansiysk’, after which the hosts welcomed the guests as passengers who had just landed in the festival’s capital.

The theme ‘Children in Cinema’ was reflected throughout the entire ceremony through musical performances and visual imagery. Songs from animated films, children’s movies, and family films were performed on stage, while the hosts’ dialogue revolved around memories of childhood, imagination, and first impressions of cinema. The musical accompaniment was provided by the Ugra Concert Wind Orchestra conducted by Sergey Sviridov. The ceremony was directed by Aleksey Frandetti.

Russia’s Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova addressed the festival’s guests and participants via video message. She noted that for more than twenty years “Spirit of Fire” has remained an important platform supporting young filmmakers. In 2026, the festival received 630 applications from 39 countries.

The hosts also reminded the audience that the festival was founded more than twenty years ago by director Sergey Solovyov. Over the years, its competitions have received more than a thousand applications from emerging filmmakers.

During the ceremony, the ‘Work-in-Progress’ program was presented — a competition for projects currently in production. The winner of the category will receive a 1 million ruble prize, supported by the ‘Hometowns’ social investment program of Gazprom Neft. The program’s jury includes Sergei Chliyants, Yarina Sugakova, Aleksandr Gorokhov, Svetlana Maksimchenko, Viktor Prokofyev, and Nina Romodanovskaya.

The program features the films ‘Car Service’ by Ilya Noskov, ‘BO-BO’ by Anastasia Kuzina, ‘Just Friends’ by Marina Kaletskaya, ‘Another World’ by Nikolai Kovalenko, ‘On the Edge of Childhood’ by Vladimir Zakharenko, ‘When the Snow Falls” by Evgenia Gromova, ‘Northern Territory’ by Maria Mits, ‘Snow Maiden’ by Olga Dobromyslova, and ‘Tickleman’ by Sergey Fevralyov.

The festival also hosts a microfilm competition, which includes two categories, one of them a special children’s category. It features filmmakers aged 12 to 17, and each film must be no longer than three minutes. The jury of the competition is chaired by Mariya Zvereva, Vice President and Program Director of the festival.

Next, the ‘Your Movie’ program was presented. It originally appeared at the festival in the 2000s as a club for children’s and youth films, but over time it grew into a full-fledged competition program. It includes international and Russian premieres, and the main award in this category is the ‘Small Bronze Taiga’.

This year the program features five films: ‘A Hero for Kobus’ (South Africa–USA, dir. Joel Soisson), ‘The Boy Who Knew the Mountains’ (UAE, dir. Zainab Shaheen), ‘My Taiga Vacation’ (Russia, dir. Aleksandr Lukin), ‘Seeds’ (Colombia–Spain, dir. Eliana Niño), and ‘I Accidentally Wrote a Book’ (Hungary–Netherlands, dir. Nóra Lakos).

Then the hosts moved on to the festival’s main program — the International Debut Film Competition. Eight films are competing in it: ‘Deaf’ (Spain, dir. Eva Libertad García López), ‘Far in the Middle of the East’ (Iran–Austria, dir. Arash Aneessee), ‘All Quiet at Sunrise’ (China, dir. Zhu Xin), ‘The Luminous Life’ (Portugal–France, dir. João Rosas), ‘The Coin’ (Italy–Serbia, dir. Emiliano Dante), ‘Night Is Fading Away’ (Argentina, dirs. Ezequiel Salinas and Ramiro Sonzini), ‘Songs of the Moon King’ (Russia, dir. Nastasya Lapshina), and ‘Shape of Momo’ (India–Republic of Korea, dir. Tribeny Rai).

This year, the winners will also receive a special prize from the festival’s communications partner — the Roscongress Foundation — titled ‘The Soul of Russia. World Cinema’, awarded for preserving traditional spiritual values in the world. In addition, three main awards will be presented: ‘Bronze Taiga’ and ‘Silver Taiga’ for the best debut films in the international program, and ‘Golden Taiga’, the grand prize of the International Debut Film Festival “Spirit of Fire.”

The jury includes Chinese screenwriter Lu Wei (jury chairman), whose work was nominated for an Academy Award and received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival; actress, director, and public figure Ndamo Damaris; festival organizer, film critic, and writer Jaime Cristian Noguera Martín; Serbian screenwriter, director, and producer Goran Radovanović; and producer and multiple media industry award winner Yuliana Slashcheva.

In the festival category ‘Russian Competition’, the following awards are presented: the Pavel Lebeshev Prize for Best Cinematography, the Silver Rose Prize for Best Music, the Aleksandr Abdulov Prizes for Best Actor and Best Actress, the Audience Award ‘Flowers of Taiga Hope’, a Special Prize from Gazprom Neft ‘For the Preservation of Cultural Traditions’, and the category’s main award — the Sergey Solovyov Golden Taiga Prize for Best Russian Film Debut.

The Russian debut program includes six films: ‘In the Mountains. He’(dir. Said Tolgurov), ‘Greatness of Absence’ (dirs. Sofia Fyodorova and Nikita Dobrynin), ‘Eclipse’ (dir. Igor Kagramanov), ‘Sanding Dreams’ (dir. Anton Mamykin), ‘Mari Fairy Tales’  (dir. Denis Shabliy), and ‘Eigengrau’ (dir. Murad Beglyarov).

The jury of the ‘Russian Competition’ includes: jury chairman Andrei Proshkin, musician, composer, songwriter, and performer Evgeny Margulis, cinematographer and international film festival prize-winner Maria Solovyova, theater and film actress Alexandra Ursulyak, and theater, film, and television actor Leonid Yarmolnik.

In addition, the hosts presented the special program ‘Wish You Were Here’, dedicated to strong debut films that have already been recognized at other festivals. This year the lineup includes ‘Instinct’ (dir. Filipp Ustinov), ‘Scenes of Friendly Ties’ (dir. Sonya Raizman), ‘Adventures of a Real Samurai in the World of Disasters’ (dirs. Dmitry Vorobyov and Lida Kanashova), and ‘Daylight Fireworks’ (dir. Nina Volova).

The festival also features industry and educational programs, where representatives of the film industry discuss the development of cinema and take part in discussions, master classes, and meetings.

At the opening ceremony, guests were welcomed by Ruslan Kukharuk, Governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Ugra. He noted that for more than twenty years the festival has been an integral part of the cultural life of the region and the country, bringing together representatives of the film industry from different nations.

A speech was also delivered by Aleksandr Dybal, a member of the board of Gazprom Neft. He emphasized the importance of the theme ‘Children in Cinema’ and the role of filmmaking in shaping the worldview of new generations.

Festival president Emir Kusturica, in his address, highlighted the significance of culture, science, and art for the development of society and stressed the importance of supporting cultural initiatives.

After that, Emir Kusturica and Ruslan Kukharuk officially declared of the XXIV International Debut Film Festival “Spirit of Fire” open by clapping a symbolic film clapperboard. 

The ceremony concluded with the song ‘Beautiful Distant Land’ from the television film ‘Guest from the Future’, performed by Artem Volchkov, a student of the Sveshnikov Choral School. The performance also featured the Smola Dance Theatre and the Academy of Dance Contemporary Choreography Theatre.

The festival opened with the film ‘The Man Who Saw the Bear’ by Pierre Richard, who also served as the film’s screenwriter and lead actor. The film’s executive producers are Ivan Samokhvalov and Gavriil Gordeev.

The Spirit of Fire festival is a leading debut film festival in Russia and abroad, and one of the main platforms for young filmmakers. It was founded in 2002 by People’s Artist of the Russian Federation and film director Sergey Solovyov, who served as the festival’s president for nearly twenty years. Since 2023, the festival’s president has been the internationally renowned director Emir Kusturica.

The Spirit of Fire festival is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. 

Since its inception, the festival has also received consistent support from the Government of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra. 

Since 2007, the festival has been supported by Gazprom Neft, which acts as a co-organizer of the festival and its cultural and educational program, and presents the award for Best Russian Film in the category ‘For the Preservation of Cultural Traditions’.

The festival’s communications partner is the Roscongress Foundation.