The 35th Message to Man International Film Festival Announces Opening Film and Jury Line-up

Date of publication: 15 October 2025

The 35th Message to Man International Film Festival opens on 17 October. This year’s competition programmes feature 82 films, while 96 more will be presented across 11 special sections, exploring wide-ranging phenomena of global and Russian cultural landscapes—from new French cinema and St. Petersburg’s 1990s film culture to the grotesque and highlights from the world’s leading festivals. The Festival’s extensive parallel programme will introduce guests to the diversity of societal trends shaping contemporary filmmaking.

The Festival kicks off with the Russian premiere of Werner Herzog’s Ghost Elephants, first presented at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. The opening ceremony will take place at the Boris Eifman Dance Academy Theatre.

This year’s five jury panels bring together artists and filmmakers from around the world. Holders of prestigious international awards, they will identify new benchmarks in contemporary cinema.

The Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, and the St. Petersburg Committee for Culture.

 

FESTIVAL PRESS CONFERENCE
17 October

On the eve of the opening, organisers and jury members will hold the traditional Opening Press Conference at the Aurora Cinema on 17 October at 14:00. Participants will share details of the Festival’s anniversary-year programme and speak about its special events.

Conference Speakers:

  • Aleksey Uchitel, Festival President;
  • Mikhail Ratgauz, Festival Programme Director;
  • Marco Müller, Chair of the International Competition Jury, Italian film scholar and producer, Director of the Film Art Research Centre at Shanghai University, and Distinguished Professor at the Shanghai Film Academy;
  • Acácio de Almeida, International Competition Jury Member, Portuguese cinematographer for works by Raúl Ruiz, Pedro Costa, and Manoel de Oliveira;
  • Sylvain George, International Competition Jury Member, French filmmaker and lecturer at the Paris Institute of Political Studies;
  • Maria Matsel, International Competition Jury Member, actress;
  • Mili Pecherer, International Competition Jury Member, Franco-Israeli filmmaker and recipient of awards at Berlin and Annecy festivals;
  • Vasily Stepanov, Chair of the International Competition Selection Committee;
  • Alena Solntseva, Curator of the National Competition;
  • Mikhail Zheleznikov, Curator of the In Silico Experimental Film Competition.

Representatives from the National Competition Jury, the In Silico Experimental Film Competition Jury, the Press Jury, and the Student Jury, as well as programme curators and selectors, will also attend.

Conference Moderator:

 

FESTIVAL OPENING
17 October

The opening film—a documentary parable Ghost Elephants, directed by Werner Herzog, German filmmaker and recipient of awards from the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin International Film Festivals—will be screened at the Aurora Cinema at 16:00. Earlier this September, the film premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. The story of a search for a herd of elephants in the Angolan highlands, led by South African biologist Steve Boyes, unfolds into a meditation on myths, responsibility, and the archetype of the “searching man.”

The celebratory event marking the start of the Festival’s 35th anniversary edition will take place on the stage of the Boris Eifman Dance Academy Theatre. The ceremony will feature performances by students of the Boris Eifman Dance Academy and the indie band SAMRATTAMA, led by Samrat Irzhasov (Kazakhstan).

A live broadcast of the ceremony will be available from 19:30 on 17 October on the Festival’s website and its official group at VK.

 

SPECIAL PRESENTATION OF THE SCREEN BALLET RUSSIAN HAMLET

On 22 October at 19:00, the Aurora Cinema will host a special presentation of the screen ballet Russian Hamlet — a film version of the world-renowned production by the Boris Eifman St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre, choreographed in 1999 to music by Ludwig van Beethoven and Gustav Mahler. In Russian Hamlet, the renowned choreographer turns to Paul I, one of the most enigmatic and controversial figures in Russian history. The screen ballet is directed by Boris Eifman himself, with cinematography by Sergey Trofimov. Principal roles are performed by the Theatre’s soloists Maria Abashova, Oleg Gabyshev, Lyubov Andreyeva, Artem Lepkov, and Igor Subbotin. The film will be presented to audiences for the first time. Guest gathering begins at 18:30.

 

JURY

The International Competition Jury includes Marco Müller, Italian film scholar and producer, Director of the Film Art Research Centre at Shanghai University and Distinguished Professor at the Shanghai Film Academy; Mili Pecherer, Franco-Israeli filmmaker and recipient of awards at Berlin and Annecy festivals; Acácio de Almeida, Portuguese cinematographer for works by Pedro Costa and Manoel de Oliveira; Sylvain George, French filmmaker and lecturer at the Paris Institute of Political Studies; and actress representing Belarus and Russia, Maria Matsel.

The National Competition Jury comprises Sitora Alieva, producer, film expert, and member of the European Film Academy; Renata Dzhalo, Russian filmmaker; and Filip Perkon, British producer and founder of Perkon Productions.

The In Silico Experimental Film Competition Jury includes Platon Infante, innovative artist; Tikhon Pendyurin, filmmaker and member of the Luch film collective and Manifest creative group, and Anastasia Senchenko, film scholar, critic, contributor to Iskusstvo Kino and Kino TV, and editor at the Okko streaming platform.

The Press Jury features Pavel Basinsky, writer, journalist, and cultural columnist for Rossiyskaya Gazeta; Nikita Kartsev, film critic, director, producer, and Editor-in-Chief of Iskusstvo Kino; Fekla Tolstaya, journalist and television presenter; and Sophie Shevardnadze, journalist, presenter, author, and producer of radio and television programmes.

Finally, the Student Jury includes Eva Baltzer, a student in Aleksey Uchitel’s workshop at VGIK; Anna Volkova, a student in Artyom Antonov’s workshop at the St. Petersburg State University of Film and Television; and Kama Melentieva, a student in Nikolai Kovalkov’s workshop at the St. Petersburg School of New Cinema.

 

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION JURY
Awards the Golden Centaur Grand Prix and three special Centaur prizes

  • Marco Müller (Italy) —Film scholar and producer. Former director of international film festivals in Pesaro, Rotterdam, Locarno, Venice, Rome, Fuzhou, Macao, Pingyao, Hainan, and at the Festival of Young Cinema of Asia and Europe in Macao (2024). Founder and director of the Hubert Bals Fund and the CineMart Project Workshop (Netherlands), as well as the Fondazione Monte Cinema Verità (Switzerland). Producer or co-producer of 11 feature films. Author and editor of more than twenty books on European, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Russian, and Soviet cinema. Currently serves as Director of the Film Art Research Centre at Shanghai University and Distinguished Professor at the Shanghai Film Academy.
  • Mili Pecherer (Israel / France) —Born in Israel in 1988, she lives in Marseille. She studied at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and Le Fresnoy National Studio of Contemporary Arts. Starting with whimsical documentaries about God, Napoleon Bonaparte, haemorrhoids, and a donkey, she later turned to game engines to gain greater freedom in unconventional storytelling. Through an avatar, she navigates synthetic worlds, reimagining biblical narratives and posing contemporary questions. Her films have been showcased and awarded at the Berlin Film Festival, Annecy, and FIDMarseille, while her works have been exhibited at the Pernod Ricard Foundation and the Museum of Art and History of Judaism in Paris.
  • Acácio de Almeida (Portugal) —Director of photography. Has worked with some of Europe’s greatest filmmakers: Manoel de Oliveira, Raúl Ruiz, Alain Tanner, Pedro Costa, João César Monteiro, Rita Azevedo Gomes, Margarida Cordeiro, and others. In total, he has shot more than 150 films. Recipient of the Medal of Cultural Merit. In 2022, he made his directorial debut with Love Lights (co-directed with Marie Carré), which is featured in the parallel programme of Message to Man.
  • Sylvain George (France)— Director and lecturer at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po); his masterclasses are held around the world. Born in Lyon, he studied philosophy, law, political science, and cinema at the Sorbonne and the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS). Sylvain George’s main themes are migration and social movements. His films The Impossible – Pieces of Fury (2009), May They Rest in Revolt (2010), Fragments (2011), Vers Mardid: The Burning Bright (2013), Paris Is a Moveable Feast (2017), and Obscure Night – Wild Leaves (2022) have been screened at the Viennale, Cinéma du Réel, CPH:DOX, DocLisboa, FID Marseille, Copenhagen Cinematheque, and the Centre Pompidou, as well as at film festivals in Milan, Turin, Buenos Aires, and Valdivia. Obscure Night – Goodbye Here, Anywhere (2024) won the Golden Centaur Grand Prix as Best Film of the 34th Message to Man IFF.
  • Maria Matsel (Belarus, Russia) —Stage and screen actress. Born in 2001 in Minsk. Studied acting under Igor Yasulovich at VGIK. Gained recognition after the TV series Dyatlov Pass (2020). Has appeared in around 30 film and television roles, including the series YUZZZ (2021), the feature Baby Girl (2023), and the series Surgeon (2025), among others. Was named best actress at the Gorky Fest Russian Film Festival for Country Sasha (2022). Maria also pursues a musical career: she performs in shows, records soundtracks, and released her debut album Gráta in 2024.

 

NATIONAL COMPETITION JURY
Awards the Silver Centaur Prize for Best Film in the National Competition and the Special Prize

  • Sitora Alieva (Russia) —Producer, film expert, programme director of the debut feature section at the Koroche Festival. Born in 1963 in Dushanbe. Graduated from the Screenwriting and Film Studies Faculty at VGIK. Since 1991, she has lived in Moscow. Worked at Iskusstvo Kino magazine, served as director of the Sochi International Film Festival, as well as Faces of Love and Kinotavrik festivals. From 2005 to 2021, she was the programme director of the Kinotavr Open Russian Film Festival. Served on juries at major international festivals, including Berlin, Venice, Mar del Plata, Karlovy Vary, Warsaw, and Thessaloniki. Guest lecturer at universities and film schools in Russia, Europe, United States, South Korea, and Central Asia. In 2023, Sitora Alieva produced the documentary Smile. Member of the European Film Academy.
  • Renata Dzhalo (Russia) — Born in St. Petersburg. Graduated from VGIK in 2021 (workshop of Aleksey Uchitel and Aleksey Geleyn). The world premiere of her feature-length documentary debut, Lenechka, took place at the 2023 Message to Man Festival, where it received a Special Jury Diploma and the Ilim Group Award. Her first fiction feature, On This Land (2024), earned a Special Jury Mention and the Best Cinematography Award at the Mayak Festival of Contemporary Russian Cinema. The film premiered internationally in the Bright Future section at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
  • Filip Perkon (UK) — Founder of Perkon Productions, a company specializing in event management and film production. After graduating from Winchester College and Gordonstoun School, he earned a Master’s degree in Comparative Politics and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics. He has organized over 10 international business forums and numerous concerts at venues such as Hammersmith Apollo and the Royal Albert Hall, becoming one of the UK’s youngest rock concert producers. Over the past 15 years, he has organised more than 300 events, many celebrating Russian culture, including the Golden Unicorn Award and Festival and Russian Film Weeks. Member of Sandbox, an international community for entrepreneurs and creative leaders.

 

IN SILICO EXPERIMENTAL FILM COMPETITION JURY
Awards the Silver Centaur Prize for Best Experimental Film

  • Platon Infante (Russia) —Born in Moscow in 1978 to a family of artists of Spanish descent. Received a classical art education at the Moscow Academic Art Lyceum of the Russian Academy of Arts. Graduated from VGIK with a degree in Film and Multimedia Directing. In 1996, he founded the art group Homourban and began participating in contemporary art exhibitions. Since 2010, his artistic focus has been the space between the natural and virtual worlds. In pursuit of multidimensionality, he creates installations and objects exhibited at group and solo shows across Europe. Infante’s works are held in private collections as well as in state galleries and museums.
  • Tikhon Pendyurin (Russia) —Filmmaker. Graduated from VGIK’s Economics Faculty. Member of the Luch film collective and Manifest creative group. Co-founder and director general of Cosmosfilm production company. His directing, producing, and cinematography work has been presented at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Berlinale, Viennale, Moscow Jewish Film Festival, Anthology Film Archives (New York), Moscow International Film Festival, Message to Man, Spirit of Fire, among others. Pendyurin teaches at the Moscow School of New Cinema.
  • Anastasia Senchenko (Russia) —Film scholar and critic. Contributor to Iskusstvo Kino and Kino TV magazines, editor for the streaming platform Okko and its film blog Okkolokino. Born in Barnaul, she graduated from Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University with a degree in Publishing and Editing, and from St. Petersburg State University of Film and Television with a degree in Film Studies. She coordinated projects for Seance magazine, participated in launching the website Chapaev on the history of Russian cinema, and curated programmes and a children’s film school for the Open Film Studio Lendoc. Senchenko has written for KinoPoisk, ru, Cineticle, and other media.

 

PRESS JURY

  • Pavel Basinsky (Russia) —Writer, journalist, and cultural columnist for Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Graduated from the Gorky Literary Institute. Two-time laureate of the Big Book Award and recipient of the Russian Federation State Prize for Literature and Art. Jury member for the Alexander Solzhenitsyn Prize and the Leo Tolstoy Yasnaya Polyana Prize, and chairman of the Valentin Rasputin Prize jury. Teaches at the Department of Literary Mastery at the Gorky Literary Institute. Authored over twenty books.
  • Nikita Kartsev (Russia) —Film critic, director, producer. Since February 2023, editor-in-chief of Iskusstvo Kino Creative producer of the Koroche Festival’s laboratory. Guest lecturer at the Moscow Film School, Garage Screen, Zotov Cultural Centre, and the Oktava Creative Industrial Cluster (Tula). Published in Seance, The Hollywood Reporter, GQ, Kommersant-Lifestyle, and RBK Style, and worked on entertainment content for the STS channel.
  • Fekla Tolstaya (Russia) —Journalist, television presenter. Graduated from the Faculty of Philology at the Moscow State University and later studied at GITIS in the directing department under Mark Zakharov. Since 2000, she has worked as a journalist for newspapers and magazines, and as a presenter on radio and television. For the past 12 years, she has been with the Kultura TV channel, producing documentary films. Initiator and producer of digital projects focused on literature and the legacy of Leo Tolstoy.
  • Sophie Shevardnadze (Russia) —Journalist, presenter, author, and producer of radio and television programmes. From 2006 to 2017, she hosted radio shows and programmes on Channel One; from 2013 to 2022, she created and presented English-language programmes on RT. Author and host of Sofiko’s Challenge; author and producer of the documentary project In Search of Andrei Rublev.

 

STUDENT JURY

  • Eva Baltzer (Russia) —Student at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), workshop of Aleksey Uchitel. Born and raised in Latvia. Studied at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute. Since 2022, as part of the creative association MUMUF, Eva has been among the organisers of the independent film festival YuPingJiang.
  • Anna Volkova (Russia) — Student at the St. Petersburg State University of Film and Television, workshop of Artyom Antonov. Born in Moscow. Graduated from the Theatre Institute’s Acting Department in 2020. Her first student film, Sneakers, received the award for best debut at the PiterKit festival.
  • Kama Melentieva (Russia) —Student at the St. Petersburg School of New Cinema, workshop of Nikolai Kovalkov. Born in Baku, raised in St. Petersburg. Studied costume design at the Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design. Kama’s debut short film is currently in post-production, while she writes the screenplay for a feature-length film.