The Message to Man International Film Festival of documentaries, live-action shorts, short animated and experimental films announces its dates and invites filmmakers around the world to submit new films for the competition program. One of Russia’s largest international film festivals will take place in St. Petersburg for the 36th time.
The program of the Messages to Man festival traditionally includes more than 100 films from all over the world. Screenings will be held at the leading film venues of the city from October 16 to 24.
Last year, the anniversary International Film Festival Message to Man had a great success: more than 17,000 people attended its film screenings and cultural events at 15 cultural venues in the city. In total, the festival brought together 234 films from countries around the world and attracted a wide online audience, more than 1.5 million views of broadcasts of the ceremonies.
The Selection Committee of the Program Directorate of the 36th International Film Festival Message to Man opens the entry call for participation in the International Competition, the National Documentary Film Competition and the International Experimental Short Film Competition In Silico.
The deadline for submissions is July 1, 2026.
Still impressed by the 35th anniversary festival, we are starting to accept entries for the new competition program. As before, we search for outstanding films and for new names. We are looking not just for good movies, but for extraordinary ones, Alexey Uchitel, the president of the Message to Man festival.
Submissions are accepted from February 1 to July 1, 2025.
Awards of the 36th Message to Man
International Competition
- Golden Centaur Grand Prix and RUB 250,000 cash prize for Best Film;
- Three special Silver Centaur prizes and RUB 100,000 with each prize;
National Competition
- Special Silver Centaur prize and RUB 100,000 cash prize for Best Documentary Film of the National Competition;
- Special Silver Centaur prize of the jury and RUB 50,000 cash prize (with citation);
In Silico Experimental Short Film Competition
- Silver Centaur prize and RUB 100,000 cash prize for Best Experimental Film.
Films can be submitted:
- by filling in a form at the Festival’s website: message2man.com
- via online platforms: FilmFreeWay, FestHome.
The submission dates are from February 1, 2026 to July 1, 2026 (for films produced in 2026, it is possible to submit a draft version for selection).
No entry fee is charged for entries submitted for the National Competition and the In Silico Experimental Short Film Competition.
Entry fees when applying for the International Competition:
— EUR 20 (or RUB 2,000) for full-length documentaries (40 to 120 min);
— EUR 10 (or RUB 1,000) for live-action short films (up to 30 min);
— EUR 7 (or RUB 700) for short documentaries (up to 40 min);
— EUR 7 (or RUB 700) for animated short films (up to 30 min).
Payments are to be made when applying through online platforms or the festival website. A submission for the International Competition is considered incomplete and will not be reviewed by the selection committee if payment is not provided.
The Directorate of the Message to Man IFF kindly asks the applicants to carefully read the complete Festival Regulations.
In addition to the main competition programme, the 36th Message to Man IFF will offer viewers a selection of out-of-competition programmes and retrospectives, along with master classes and creative meetings with renowned Russian and international filmmakers.
For the third time, the Festival will also feature the Industry Programme, which includes the documentary project pitching session Message to Tomorrow, premiere screenings of documentary series from Russian streaming platforms, roundtables, and professional discussion panels featuring Russian film industry’s prominent figures.
Stay updated with the Festival news at message2man.com, and follow the Festival account at vk.com/m2mfestival and Telegram channel at t.me/message2man.