The opening of the 42nd Moscow International Film Festival took place on October 1.

The transfer of the event from spring to autumn was agreed with the International Federation of Film Producers' Associations. 

“The normal number of good films this year, no more, no less.

But we tried to show them for two reasons: first, we would like them to have some international resonance.

Secondly, I would like to see at least some of the filmmakers physically present at press conferences, answer questions, meet with the audience ... We tried to provide the audience with sufficient contact with the filmmakers, and the creators - sufficient contact with the audience. " , - said the program director of the show Kirill Razlogov in an interview with the Kultura TV channel before the ceremony.

Ekaterina Guseva, Valery Todorovsky, Nonna Grishaeva, Svetlana Druzhinina, Andrei Burkovsky, Maria Kozhevnikova, Krill Razlogov, Marina Zudina and other cinema figures took to the carpet of the festival.

The opening ceremony took place at the Rossiya Theater.

The start of the festival was announced by director Timur Bekmambetov and actress Svetlana Kryuchkova.

The host of the evening was Alexey Agranovich.

“This will be the most businesslike, most disciplined festival,” Interfax quotes him.

The event was attended by Assistant to the President of Russia Vladimir Medinsky, Executive Director of the Cinema Foundation Vyacheslav Telnov, Head of the Moscow Department of Culture Alexander Kibovsky, Official Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, General Director of Moskino Natalya Mokritskaya, Deputy of the Moscow City Duma Evgeny Gerasimov and others.

The opening film was a historical melodrama with fantasy elements "Silver Skates", which takes place in St. Petersburg at the end of the 19th century.

Director - Mikhail Lokshin.

The film will be widely released in December 2020.

The jury of the main competition this year was headed by director, producer and screenwriter Timur Bekmambetov.

Together with him will work producer and director from Romania Alexander Jordarescu, writer and cinematographer Mahmoud Soliman (Egypt), Russian actress Marina Alexandrova (Street Racers, Ekaterina), and British film critic Brian Weiner.

The short films will be evaluated by Russian producer Marina Zhigalova ("Happiness is ...", "The Last Hero"), British director Guy Davis, and Andrzej Wajda's student, director Elena Khazanova.

This year's main competition features 13 paintings from Russia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Brazil, India, Romania and other countries.

Prize-winner at the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlinale, winner of the Golden Lion from the Venetian show and head of the jury of the previous Moscow International Film Festival, Kim Ki Duk, participates in the competition with the Dissolve ribbon.

The two heroines, similar to each other as twins, live in completely different circumstances, but they change roles, like the prince and the beggar from the novel of the same name by Mark Twain.

The film was shot in a joint production of South Korea and Kazakhstan.

  • © Still from the film "Dissolve" (2019)

An episode from the life of a filmmaker will be shown by Israeli director Gur Bentwich in the film Like Cheese in Oil, and Marian Krishan from Romania will discuss the methods of political struggle in the film Election Campaign.

Actor and director Lazaro Ramos offers for viewing a dystopia with a racial issue "Order", another version of the near future can be seen in Erdem Tepegöz's film "In the Shadows". 

Russia is represented by four pictures.

Among them is Andrei Zaitsev's "Blockade Diary" ("14+"), based on the works of Olga Bergolts and Daniil Granin, as well as testimonies of participants in those sad events.

The winner of the MIFF "Silver George" for the film "Arventure" Irina Evteeva in 2020 prepared the tape "Melody of the String Tree" for participation in the competition.

This is a two-part story about the travels of Velimir Khlebnikov and his Ka, the immortal double, who, according to ancient Egyptian mythology, represents the life force in the form of a person.

A special creative method of Irina Evteeva is that shots with live actors are hand-processed and turned into a work at the intersection of cinematography and painting.

For this, the director uses multiple projections on the glass.

The events of Maxim Dashkin's film "On the Distant Frontiers" unfold at a Russian military base in Kyrgyzstan.

The wife of the deputy commander enters into an affair with one of the military, which will lead to serious consequences.

Finally, in "Hypnosis" - a new film by the creator of "Hipsters" and "Thaw" Valery Todorovsky - the teenager Misha tries to cope with lunitasm with the help of a psychotherapist, and eventually turns out to be a suspect in a crime.

The hero, under hypnosis, begins his investigation, not fully understanding where the dream is and where the reality is.

  • © Still from the movie "Hypnosis" (2020)

Also in the competition are the paintings "Hilda" by Rishi Palam, "Fate" by Zhanna Issabayeva, "The Fisherman's Daughter" by Izmail Safarali and "The Barren Bride" by Jadab Makhanta.

9 films are announced in the documentary section: "Hand Made" by Evgeny Grigoriev, "Nocturne" by Gwancho Chon, "Influence" by Richard Poplak and Diana Neill, "Urban Dream" by Weijun Chen, "Cheerful Man" by Andrey Konchalovsky, "Shaman" by Andrey Osipov, “When We Were Brothers” by Daniel Roer, “The Heavenly Crimea” by Sergei Debizhev and “We Don't Give Up” by Mark Weisse.

This year, the festival will host the Young and the Beautiful program for the first time, designed primarily for directors of generation Z. Six films are participating in it.

Also, the Central House of Cinematographers will host a section "Russian Programs" for domestic directors - winners of various shows.

Here will be presented such films as "When She Comes" by Alexander Tsoi, "Ice 2" by Zhora Kryzhovnikov, "Marathon of Desires" by Dasha Charushi, "Man from Podolsk" by Semyon Serzin.

The work of the "Russian Programs" will begin with the screening of the film "Doctor Liza", and "Kitoboy" was chosen as the closing film.

The section will also include a retrospective of Sergei Bondarchuk's paintings, timed to coincide with the director's centenary.

The Moscow International Film Festival will end on October 8.

The closing film is the sports drama "On the Edge" with Svetlana Khodchenkova and Stasya Miloslavskaya in the lead roles.

Director Eduard Bordukov is an international master of sports in long-distance running.

Among his notable films is the film for a teenage audience "Box".