Results of the 12th Zabaikalsky International Film Festival

On June 8, 2025, Chita hosted the grand closing ceremony of the 12th Zabaikalsky International Film Festival (ZMKF), it was a vibrant final of four days of film screenings, creative meetings, and professional discussions.

The festival reaffirmed its status as a major cultural event in Russia, uniting film industry professionals and audience. Four days immersed guests in a rich program: film screenings, concerts, theatrical performances, creative meetings, and charitable initiatives.

In the main competition, awards were presented in the following categories:

• Best Film THE ERL-KING / BAUK, SERBIA – BULGARIA / 2024
• Best Directing Cecilia Atán, Valeria Pivato, SURFACING, ARGENTINA – SPAIN / 2024
• Best Script MAN AND WOMAN, Director & scriptwriter Vladimir Kott, RUSSIA / 2024
• Best Actor Raul Kove, THE FINAL PRICE, RUSSIA / 2024
• Best Actress Maricel Álvarez, SURFACING, ARGENTINA – SPAIN / 2024
• Audience Award MAN AND WOMAN, RUSSIA / 2024

The Special Prize of the Governor of Zabaykalsky Krai was awarded to People's Artist of the Russian Federation Yuri Nazarov.

Prize to the Best Film in the Competition “New Look”  BAURYNA SALU, KAZAKHSTAN / 2023

Audience Award in the Competition “New Look” ZHIGA. FULL SPEED!  RUSSIA / 2025

For the first time at ZMKF, the audience competition for serial projects "Cinema+" was held. This was an audience competition where the scores were given not by a jury, but by the audience itself.

Diplomas in the "Cinema+" competition were awarded to:

• The series Garazhniki directed by Mikhail Mestetsky "For the unique atmosphere of garage romance and everyday philosophy"
• The series Vityazi directed by Mikhail Kolpakhchiev "For the subtle intertwining of historical facts and drama"
• The Audience Award in the KINO+ competition went to the series The Poor Laugh, The Rich Cry 2 directed by Vladislav Nikolaev, Natalia Lobanova, Natalia Vagonova, Sergey Kuvaev

The hosts of the grand closing ceremony of the 12th Transbaikal International Film Festival were theater and film actress, TV host Yulia Zimina and Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, theater, film, and television actor Dmitry Dyuzhev.

Ceremony guests: ZMKF President, People's Artist of the RSFSR Alexander Mikhailov with his wife and daughter Miroslava, The ideological inspirer and main organizer, Chairman of the ZMKF Organizing Committee, Viktor Shkulev, Chairman of the Jury of the 12th ZMKF, director Vladimir Khotinenko, Jury members: Darya Ekamasova, Pushpendra Singh, Dragan Milinković Fimon, People's Artists of the Russian Federation: Olga Ostroumova, Yuri Nazarov, Svetlana Permyakova, Honored Artists of the Russian Federation: Boris Smolkin, Igor Mirkurbanov, Galina Danilova, Eduard Radzyukevich, Honored Artist of Russia Anna Ardova, Elena Zakharova, Andrey Chadov, Ekaterina Vulichenko, Oleg Maslennikov-Voytov and other stars, partners, and members of the Festival's Organizing Committee.

The hosts emphasized that over its 12 years, ZMKF has become an integral part of the cultural identity of Transbaikalia. The festival is no longer just an event; it has become part of the region's cultural self-identity. The organizers expressed special gratitude to the audience.

The traditional final was the symbolic clap of the film clapperboard, with which Alexander Mikhailov and Viktor Shkulev declared the 12th Zabaykalsky International Film Festival closed.