🌍 Events
Festival Results to Be Announced at TASS on 6 November
The results of the BRICS+ International Film Festival will be announced on 6 November 2026 at a press conference at TASS News Agency.
BRICS+ International Film Festival
BRICS+ International
Film Festival
Author-driven, national and cross-cultural cinema united on a single festival platform. Premieres, competitions, industry pitchings and special programs from BRICS+ countries.
Film submissions for the 2026 competition are closed. Film selection is complete. The screening programme is published below.
BRICS+ 2026
Festival dates: 29 October – 3 November 2026
60+
Films in the program
15+
Participating countries
BRICS+ 2026
News
📅 Important
Festival dates changed to 29 October – 3 November
At the request of the Festival’s international jury members, the BRICS+ International Film Festival events and competition screenings will take place from 29 October to 3 November 2026.
🔥 Update
Competition submissions are closed
This year, the Festival received 327 films from 22 countries. Film selection is complete. The screening programme is available on the website.
Festival Opening
A Welcome from the Jury Chair
International Jury
Festival Jury
The international jury brings together filmmakers, producers and cultural leaders from BRICS+ countries and partner states.
🇧🇷 Brazil
Antonio Miano
Actor, Director, Curator
Brazilian actor and director working across cinema, theatre, and performance art. Director of short and documentary films. Curator of film programs and audience development initiatives.
🇧🇷 BRAZIL
Padu Palmério
Director, Cinematographer
Brazilian director and cinematographer working in both fiction and documentary cinema. Has filmed projects in more than 40 countries and collaborated on international productions across Latin America. Recipient and nominee of international cinematography awards, and an active jury member and mentor in international film laboratories.
🇨🇺 Cuba
Alejandro Gil Álvarez
Director, Screenwriter
Cuban film director and screenwriter, recipient of national cultural awards and international film festival honors. Author of documentary and fiction films, television projects, and music videos. Jury member of major film festivals across Latin America and Europe.
🇮🇷 Iran
Babak Khajehpasha
Director, Screenwriter
Iranian director and screenwriter, creator of feature films and theatre productions. His film In the Arms of the Tree was selected as Iran’s submission for the 2025 Academy Awards. Recipient of international awards at film festivals in the United States, India, Italy, and Canada, including honors for Best Director and Best Screenplay.
🇮🇳 India
Jayita Ghosh
International Cultural Relations Expert
Indian expert in cinema, international communications, and cultural diplomacy. Leads international initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation between creative industries, business communities, and public institutions. Actively promotes cultural exchange and international film collaboration.
🇧🇾 Belarus
Vladimir Zinkevich
Film Director, Screenwriter
Belarusian film director and screenwriter, founder of the production company Avantdrive. Director of the acclaimed films Spice Boys and Welcome to the Family. Recipient of the Best Feature Film Award at the New Season Online Cinema Festival.
🇷🇺 Russia
Ivan Bolotnikov
Film Director, Screenwriter, Producer
Russian director, screenwriter, and producer, founder of Studio Avtor. Director of the films Kharms, Palmira, and Don’t Bury Me Without Ivan. Recipient of two Golden Goblet Awards at the Shanghai International Film Festival. A graduate of the Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors, he worked in Aleksei German’s creative team on the film Hard to Be a God.
🇷🇺 Russia
Nikolai Izvolov
Film Historian, Cinema Scholar
PhD in Art History and one of the leading experts on early Russian and Soviet cinema. Author of major research works and restoration projects dedicated to lost films by Dziga Vertov, Lev Kuleshov, and Alexander Medvedkin. Lecturer at VGIK and the Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors.
🇷🇺 RUSSIA
Alexey Kravchenko
International Journalist
International journalist and Chief Editor at the TASS Analytical Center. He specializes in international affairs, analysis, and coverage of global political and social processes.
🇷🇺 RUSSIA
Alexandra Ochirova
Doctor of Philosophy, Public Figure
Doctor of Philosophy and Full Member of the Russian Academy of Arts. UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and Co-Chair of the General Council of the Assembly of the Peoples of the World. Co-President of the All-Russian Public Movement For the Preservation of the Nation.
Professionalism, independence and respect for cultural diversity are the guiding principles of the Festival Jury.
Official Conditions
Regulations
Main structure of the regulations. The full festival regulations are available as a PDF document.
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1Feature-length, short, documentary and popular science films from BRICS+ countries, as well as international co-productions, are eligible for participation.
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2Films completed on or after 1 January 2024 are eligible for participation
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3English subtitles are mandatory. Films in languages other than Russian must include both Russian and English subtitles.
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4Winners will receive the Grand Prix, Special Jury Awards and Special Festival Awards.
Submission period
Closed · 1 June – 31 August 2026
Selection status
Film selection is complete
Selection results
Programme published — view films and screening times
Main Award
Grand Prix
The highest award of the BRICS+ International Film Festival.
The Grand Prix and Special Jury Awards are granted by the International Jury.
The festival Grand Prix statuette is a symbol of the movement of BRICS+ cultures orbiting around the art of cinema and creating the energy of new stories.
The flame within the orbits is a metaphor for the creator whose work becomes the center of global attention.
29 OCTOBER – 3 NOVEMBER 2026
FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Festival screenings take place in two cities. The non-fiction cinema programme was held in Saint Petersburg on 29 October. Screenings from 30 October to 2 November take place in Moscow. Competition screenings on 3 November will take place in Saint Petersburg.
29 October · 2026
Day of Non-Fiction Cinema
V. V. Dokuchaev Central Museum of Soil Science · 6 Birzhevoy Proezd, Saint Petersburg
Join us for four documentary films about science, inventions, people and their hometowns as part of the BRICS+ International Film Festival.
29 October, 16:15–18:45
Admission is free. Registration is required.
Capacity is limited to 80 viewers.
16:15
Iskra
16:42
Meeting with Director Evgeny Karelinov
17:17
The Sunkeepers
18:09
Keep My Shadow
18:22
Where Milk Rivers Once Flowed
30 October · 2026
BRICS+ Film Screenings
BRICS+ Media Centre. Grand Hall · Library for Foreign Literature
Moscow, 1 Nikoloyamskaya Street
14:00–16:20
Snow Flower
1 h 52 min
About the Film
A Marathi-language Indian-Russian drama directed by renowned Indian filmmaker Gajendra Ahire in close collaboration with Russian filmmakers. The story explores the emotional and cultural contrast between India’s tropical Konkan region and snow-covered Siberia.
16:30–18:20
Seven Verst to Dawn
1 h 42 min
About the Film
Winter 1942, in the village of Kurakino. Under occupation in the Pskov region, Matvey Kuzmin repeats Ivan Susanin’s feat and prevents sabotage behind Soviet lines. Ordered to lead an enemy unit to the rear of the advancing Red Army troops, he obeys. He guides the soldiers through a blizzard all night, but they have no idea what he is planning.
31 October · 2026
BRICS+ Film Screenings
BRICS+ Media Centre. Grand Hall · Library for Foreign Literature
Moscow, 1 Nikoloyamskaya Street
12:30–14:40
Short Film Programme
Ybi
15 min
About the Film
An artistic exploration of the cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon and environmental issues.
Where Milk Rivers Once Flowed
21 min
About the Film
A story of Boksitogorsk, a generation of factory workers, industrial decline, young people leaving, and the residents who have remained loyal to their hometown.
Happan Saangwala
32 min
About the Film
A film about the disappearing folk art of swaang and the fate of master performer Happan Saangi. His grandson Bittu helps him return to his art, bringing traditional performance together with modern technology.
Farewell Paris
19 min
About the Film
Afshin, a young man with Down syndrome, is supposed to leave for France with his father. An unexpected event prevents his father from taking him along.
Demonstrator
25 min
About the Film
At the beginning of the twentieth century, photographer and entrepreneur Richard Stremer arrives in Minsk to open its first cinema and make its first film. The governor’s wife may become his leading actress.
Cold Spring
12 min
About the Film
Gadamali and his wife are the only villagers who have not moved to the city for the winter. When his wife falls into a coma, Gadamali faces a difficult decision.
14:50–16:40
PYRE
1 h 51 min
About the Film
In a deserted Himalayan village, an elderly couple live far from civilization, facing loneliness and waiting for their missing son to return. An intimate story of love, hope, ageing and the disappearance of a traditional rural way of life.
16:50–18:30
Calm Man
1 h 39 min
About the Film
Nobahar, a young Afghan migrant, is forced to marry an elderly man named Zaman. Ultimately, she finds the courage to take control of her own destiny.
1 November · 2026
BRICS+ Film Screenings
BRICS+ Media Centre. Grand Hall · Library for Foreign Literature
Moscow, 1 Nikoloyamskaya Street
12:00–14:00
Zero Meets Hero / Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu
1 h 57 min
About the Film
A road story about a veteran and his grandson from Generation Z as they search for his former comrades. A film about memory and the bond between generations.
14:30–16:15
Guardian of the Field
1 h 43 min
About the Film
When six-year-old Yasna disappears, the peace of a farming village is shattered. Retired environmentalist Ahmad Piran leads the search and posts a video that goes viral, drawing many volunteers. Yet it is his employee Aykhan who has hidden the girl in Ahmad’s house. The search exposes dark secrets from Ahmad’s past and forces him to make a difficult choice.
16:30–18:30
Lefty
1 h 57 min
About the Film
Russia, at the end of the nineteenth century. With war against Great Britain looming, a mysterious device—a mechanical flea—is discovered in the imperial palace. Young officer Pyotr Ogaryov, eager to earn Emperor Alexander III’s trust, is assigned to investigate. He joins forces with Lefty, a brilliant but forgotten craftsman from Tula. Together they enter a world of intrigue and danger. To uncover the conspiracy, they must challenge the system, unravel family secrets and choose between duty and feeling. Their country’s safety and their own futures are at stake.
2 November · 2026
BRICS+ Film Screenings
BRICS+ Media Centre. Grand Hall · Library for Foreign Literature
Moscow, 1 Nikoloyamskaya Street
14:30–15:40
Itacoatiaras
1 h 13 min
About the Film
A documentary exploration of “painted stones”, the erased history of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon and Rio de Janeiro, and the relationship between this memory and the climate crisis.
15:40–17:00
Mijaín
1 h 19 min
About the Film
A documentary following Mijaín López on his journey to a fifth Olympic gold medal in Paris in 2024, alongside his mother, coach and hometown of Herradura.
17:10–18:30
Popular Science Programme
Iskra
27 min
About the Film
The life of the outstanding Russian inventor and engineer Pavel Yablochkov, who revolutionized electrical engineering.
The Sunkeepers
52 min
About the Film
A wide-ranging exploration of the Sun, from the history of Soviet observations to the construction of one of the world’s largest heliogeophysical complexes in Buryatia.
3 November · 2026
Competition Screenings
Saint Petersburg, 7 Dunaysky Prospekt
Starts at 10:00
- The Long WinterFeature documentary · 44 min
About the Film
Ghadamali and his wife are the only villagers who have not moved to the city for the winter, choosing to stay in their village. When his wife falls into a coma, Ghadamali faces a difficult decision.
- Rise of the ConquerorFeature film · 1 h 47 min
About the Film
The 14th century. The Mongol Empire is collapsing, the Great Silk Road is descending into chaos, and once-prosperous cities lie in ruins. Battle-hardened Timur Barlas returns to his homeland. He does not dream of becoming the scourge of cities and empires from India to Persia. He fights for what matters to him here and now: his family’s honour, love, and a future for his children and the people who see him as their leader.
- People’s ChildFeature film · 1 h 57 min 20 sec
About the Film
An orphaned teenager is forced to leave the orphanage. From his file, he learns that his family lost him, and he searches for them with hope—unaware that this journey will become the path through which he grows up.
- Khodaye JangFeature film · 1 h 53 min
About the Film
Based on true events, the film tells the story of how Iran began developing its own missile technology. This action thriller follows the difficult path of Hassan Tehrani-Moghaddam, the “father” of Iran’s missile programme. The protagonist, Ibrahim Shariki, assembles a team of Iranian specialists tasked with urgently stopping the shelling of Iranian cities and civilian deaths with help from the Libyans. Khodaye Jang premiered at the 2025 Fajr International Film Festival, where it received the national Crystal Simorgh award.
- Calm ManFeature film · 1 h 39 min
About the Film
Nobahar, a young Afghan immigrant, travels to Iran but, against her wishes, becomes the wife of an elderly man named Zaman. Their marriage, initially formed out of necessity and coercion, gradually reveals Zaman’s turbulent past and his attempts to make up for his mistakes. But Nobahar takes her destiny into her own hands and, for the first time, has the opportunity to choose.
- Wolf’s FurFeature film · 1 h 16 min
About the Film
In a remote village, a determined young boy named Ashoo makes a courageous decision: he takes Asma, a two-year-old girl, to a distant village to be blessed and celebrated. An unexpected incident along the way forces him to choose between returning Asma to her village and his own needs.
- Peterburg PodnebesnyDocumentary · 52 min
About the Film
This documentary explores the relationship between Russia and China through Saint Petersburg, Russia’s Northern Capital. At first glance, Russians and Chinese may seem very different. Thousands of kilometres and millennia of civilisation separate us. Yet as soon as we begin talking, we discover how much we share in our outlook, spirit and mentality. This is no coincidence.
The film takes us on a cinematic journey through magnificent Saint Petersburg. A very young city by Chinese standards, the city on the Neva has brilliantly absorbed the best of world culture, art, architecture and science. Although Saint Petersburg is recognised as a European city, traces of Chinese culture can be found here too.
We see Saint Petersburg through the eyes of Chinese people who live, work and study in the city, gaining a fresh perspective through their perceptions and attitudes. We also meet local residents who are passionate about China and Chinese culture. Their stories reveal the strong ties between our peoples: a stable present built on a shared historical foundation and a common vision of a happy future together.
Organizing Team
Festival Team
Viktoria Lukina
General Producer of the Festival
Film producer, journalist and public figure. Chair of the Council for Cinematography and New Media of the International BRICS Development Organization. Member of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia.
Elena Avramova
Program Director of the Festival
Film director and producer. Expert in international film festival programming.
Elena Bondarenko
Director of Film Education Projects
President of the Association for Film Education and Media Pedagogy of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chair of the Commission on Film Pedagogy and Media Education, and Associate Professor at VGIK.
Yulia Pechagina
Executive Producer of the Festival
Producer of international cultural and film projects.
The BRICS+ International Film Festival team brings together professionals from the film industry, cultural diplomacy and international humanitarian cooperation.
Festival Partners
Support
Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
TASS News Agency
BRICS+ Information and Cultural Media Centre
Arctic Youth Foundation
World Peoples Assembly
Studio Avtor
