NEWS
The 12th International Short Film Days Festival Announced Its Official Selection Winners
Photo: Press service of the Short Film Days Festival
December 19, 2025, Moscow
The closing ceremony of the 12th International Short Film Days Festival took place on the shortest day of the year, 21 December, at the Art Centre of the Contemporary Art Institute. During the event, the jury members awarded the winners of the official selection programme. Dmitry Yakunin, the general director of the festival, actor Kirill Zaitsev, member of the jury of the festival, Alexey Bokov, member of the jury, producer of the original documentary projects START, to name but a few addressed the audience. Actor Sergey Sharovatov was the host of the ceremony. The film directed by Denis Cheryokho “Don'’ Call Me Anymore” starring Alexandra Kiselyova was chosen as the closing film of the festival.
Vladimir Bakunev, Alexey Bokov, Alexandra Kiselyova, Artem Koshman, Sofia Lebedeva, Kirill Zaitsev, Olga Belik, Alexander Shebanov, Yulia Volkova, Ilya Gurov were among those who walk along the red carpet of the closing ceremony.
An unprecedented number of more than 1,030 short films from 29 countries and 59 regions of Russia were sent to participate in this year’s festival of which 49 works from 13 countries, including Russia, Singapore, China, Peru, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Egypt, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, UAE were selected for the competition programme. The festival welcomed 12 Russian and international premieres.
The festival offered 15 film screenings which were attended by 3,000 spectators. The business programme brought together more than 50 experts, 1,500 off-line and 800,000 on-line viewers.
Vladimir Bakunev, Alexey Bokov, Alexandra Kiselyova, Artem Koshman, Sofia Lebedeva, Kirill Zaitsev, Olga Belik, Alexander Shebanov, Yulia Volkova, Ilya Gurov were among those who walk along the red carpet of the closing ceremony.
An unprecedented number of more than 1,030 short films from 29 countries and 59 regions of Russia were sent to participate in this year’s festival of which 49 works from 13 countries, including Russia, Singapore, China, Peru, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Egypt, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, UAE were selected for the competition programme. The festival welcomed 12 Russian and international premieres.
The festival offered 15 film screenings which were attended by 3,000 spectators. The business programme brought together more than 50 experts, 1,500 off-line and 800,000 on-line viewers.
Photo: Press service of the Short Film Days Festival
Dmitry Yakunin, General Producer of the festival:
“
On the eve of the New Year, we organised a feast of young cinema. The festival gathered full halls for all events and screenings. I am glad that the viewer supports short films, that the distributors and platforms turn their eyes to them.
The closing ceremony celebrated not only the awardees of the main official selection programmes – short documentary, short feature film, short animated film and short neural network film – but also the winning films according to the Jury of TG Channels about Cinema and the TikTok Generation Jury. Special prizes were also awarded by the partners of the festival.
The special prize of Radio Romantika for the most romantic film in the short feature film category was awarded to
This Is My Voice (Eto moi golos) directed by Sofya Lebedeva.
The special prize of the 2x2 TV channel for the best animated short film of the festival with the possibility of getting aired was awarded to Alyoshenka directed by Dmitry Geller.
The special prize of the on-line cinema Start for the most beautiful and atmospheric documentary was awarded to
Flower Journey (Put’ tsvetov) directed by Maxim Krylov.
The special prize of VK Creative “New Episodes” with the possibility to promote the film in the VK product ecosystem in the scope equivalent to 1 million roubles was awarded to
A Dream in the Blue Sky (Son v sinem niebe) directed by Marina Nesmelova.
The special prize “Honourable Mention” of the main jury of the festival was awarded to Actor Igor Vorobyov for his role in the film “A Food Van Nearby Trailer” (Produkty naprotiv) directed by Alexander Titov
This is the first time when the festival gathered a Jury of TG channels about cinema, who watched the films of the short feature film programme.
The best film award according to the Jury of TG Channels about Cinema was given to Dumb Boy (Niemoy) directed by Arsen Aristakesyan.
Olga Belik, head of the Russian media department Kinopoisk, author of the KinoKotik Telegram channel:
The special prize of Radio Romantika for the most romantic film in the short feature film category was awarded to
This Is My Voice (Eto moi golos) directed by Sofya Lebedeva.
The special prize of the 2x2 TV channel for the best animated short film of the festival with the possibility of getting aired was awarded to Alyoshenka directed by Dmitry Geller.
The special prize of the on-line cinema Start for the most beautiful and atmospheric documentary was awarded to
Flower Journey (Put’ tsvetov) directed by Maxim Krylov.
The special prize of VK Creative “New Episodes” with the possibility to promote the film in the VK product ecosystem in the scope equivalent to 1 million roubles was awarded to
A Dream in the Blue Sky (Son v sinem niebe) directed by Marina Nesmelova.
The special prize “Honourable Mention” of the main jury of the festival was awarded to Actor Igor Vorobyov for his role in the film “A Food Van Nearby Trailer” (Produkty naprotiv) directed by Alexander Titov
This is the first time when the festival gathered a Jury of TG channels about cinema, who watched the films of the short feature film programme.
The best film award according to the Jury of TG Channels about Cinema was given to Dumb Boy (Niemoy) directed by Arsen Aristakesyan.
Olga Belik, head of the Russian media department Kinopoisk, author of the KinoKotik Telegram channel:
“
I thank the organizers of the festival for entrusting the telegram channels to be the jury this year. When watching the short feature film programme, we were most pleased that all the films we watched were viewers’ films. If you missed the chance to watch the films during the screenings in Moscow, we encourage you to attend the Echo of the Festival.
Photo: Press service of the Short Film Days Festival
The second year in a row, the festival gathers a jury of representatives of the younger generation – the TikTok Generation Jury. This year, they not only selected the winner, but also awarded special certificates to the films that evoked the greatest response in every member of the jury.
The Fools (Dury) directed by Elizaveta Sogrina, special certificate from Taisya Kalinina,
Crime (Prestuplenie) directed by Alexandra Vostrova, special certificate from Timofey Kochnev,
My Sweet Luke (Moi mily Lyuc) directed by Sergey Pavlov, special certificate from Alexey Onezhen,
Dumb Boy (Niemoy) directed by Arsen Aristakesyan, special certificate from Artyom Koshman,
The Sun (Solntse) directed by Panaila Ospanova, special certificate from Alexandra Kiselyova,
The Statuette (Statuetka) directed by Alexander Shirmanov, special certificate from Oleg Savostyuk,
This Is My Voice (Eto moi golos) directed by Sofya Lebedeva, a special certificate from Vladimir Kanukhin.
The prize in in the category “The Best Film according to the TikTok Generation Jury” was awarded to
A Food Van Nearby Trailer (Produkty naprotiv) directed by Alexander Titov.
Alexandra Kiselyova, actress, choreographer, producer and member of the TikTok Generation Jury:
The Fools (Dury) directed by Elizaveta Sogrina, special certificate from Taisya Kalinina,
Crime (Prestuplenie) directed by Alexandra Vostrova, special certificate from Timofey Kochnev,
My Sweet Luke (Moi mily Lyuc) directed by Sergey Pavlov, special certificate from Alexey Onezhen,
Dumb Boy (Niemoy) directed by Arsen Aristakesyan, special certificate from Artyom Koshman,
The Sun (Solntse) directed by Panaila Ospanova, special certificate from Alexandra Kiselyova,
The Statuette (Statuetka) directed by Alexander Shirmanov, special certificate from Oleg Savostyuk,
This Is My Voice (Eto moi golos) directed by Sofya Lebedeva, a special certificate from Vladimir Kanukhin.
The prize in in the category “The Best Film according to the TikTok Generation Jury” was awarded to
A Food Van Nearby Trailer (Produkty naprotiv) directed by Alexander Titov.
Alexandra Kiselyova, actress, choreographer, producer and member of the TikTok Generation Jury:
“
I would like to thank the entire festival team. My experience as a member of the jury has once again proved that people in art are the most important thing. This selection programme of short feature films helped me discover new interesting authors.
The main jury selected winners in the following categories from among the films participating in the competition programme – Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Animated Film, Best Neural Network Film, Best Film Director, Best Cinematography, Best Producer, Best Actor / Actress, Best Screenplay. The winning films were awarded with the signature statuette of the festival.
Best Neural Network Film –
Art in the World. Judith directed by Lee Jin Ho & Park Jin Yeong, South Korea.
Best Animated Film –
Son (Syn) directed by Zhanna Bekmambetova, Russia – Kazakhstan.
Best Documentary –
Cretinopis directed by Maria Filicheva.
Best Producer –
No Nonsense (Lovable) produced by Alexey Kozulyaev.
Best Screenplay –
Dumb Boy (Niemoy), screenplay by Arsen Aristakesyan..
Best Cinematography –
Daddy, You Still Love Me, Don’t You?!, camera work by Gabriella Mkrtchyan, Armenia
Best Acting –
Crime (Prestupleniye), actress Yana Esipovich.
Best Neural Network Film –
Art in the World. Judith directed by Lee Jin Ho & Park Jin Yeong, South Korea.
Best Animated Film –
Son (Syn) directed by Zhanna Bekmambetova, Russia – Kazakhstan.
Best Documentary –
Cretinopis directed by Maria Filicheva.
Best Producer –
No Nonsense (Lovable) produced by Alexey Kozulyaev.
Best Screenplay –
Dumb Boy (Niemoy), screenplay by Arsen Aristakesyan..
Best Cinematography –
Daddy, You Still Love Me, Don’t You?!, camera work by Gabriella Mkrtchyan, Armenia
Best Acting –
Crime (Prestupleniye), actress Yana Esipovich.
Photo: Press service of the Short Film Days Festival
Best Director –
A Food Van Nearby Trailer (Produkty naprotiv) directed by Alexander Titov.
Best Feature Film –
A Food Van Nearby Trailer directed by Alexander Titov.
Director Alexander Titov, winner in three categories of the Short Film Days Festival:
A Food Van Nearby Trailer (Produkty naprotiv) directed by Alexander Titov.
Best Feature Film –
A Food Van Nearby Trailer directed by Alexander Titov.
Director Alexander Titov, winner in three categories of the Short Film Days Festival:
“
I’m deeply grateful to everyone involved in the creation of this film. We shot it as a student team on an expedition to the Altai mountains. All of us have been working at the end of tether.
The plot of the film is about a hippie old girl who puts her trailer next to the food truck of a lonely old guy and starts deflecting his customers. He wants to get rid of this annoying competitor, but falls in love with her.
Alexey Bokov, producer of unconventional documentary projects START:
Alexey Bokov, producer of unconventional documentary projects START:
“
The plot of the film is about a hippie old girl who puts her trailer next to the food truck of a lonely old guy and starts deflecting his customers. He wants to get rid of this annoying competitor, but falls in love with her.
Alexey Bokov, producer of unconventional documentary projects START:
Alexey Bokov, producer of unconventional documentary projects START:
The film directed by Denis Cheryokho Don’t Call Me Anymore starring Alexandra Kiselyova was chosen as the closing film of the festival.
Starting with 21 December 2025 and up until 31 March 2026 non-commercial screenings are scheduled to be held in cinemas, theatres, universities, libraries, schools, Internet portals, museums, co-working facilities and art venues as part of the Echo of the Festival. This time, there are plans to screen the films at more than 700 venues in at least 70 regions of Russia and 25 countries around the world.
The International Short Film Days Festival is being implemented with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.
Starting with 21 December 2025 and up until 31 March 2026 non-commercial screenings are scheduled to be held in cinemas, theatres, universities, libraries, schools, Internet portals, museums, co-working facilities and art venues as part of the Echo of the Festival. This time, there are plans to screen the films at more than 700 venues in at least 70 regions of Russia and 25 countries around the world.
The International Short Film Days Festival is being implemented with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.
Photo: Press service of the Short Film Days Festival
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
In 2014, the All-Russian Event Short Film Days was held in our country for the first time, coinciding with 21st December, the shortest day of the year. In 2022, the project received the status of an international film festival and was supported by the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives (PFCI). Such famous film makers and experts as Vladimir Khotinenko, Yuri Bykov, Anton Kalinkin, Ivan Kudryavtsev, Vladimir Kott, Maria Lemesheva, Sergey Pershin, Alexander Tsypkin and others have sat on the jury over the years.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZER
MOVIESTART PRODUCTION CENTRE
The MovieStart Production Centre was established in 2019 to support young film makers in Russia and promote various formats of author developed feature and non-feature films, such as short films, web series, film almanacs, social commercials, etc.
The centre was founded by Dmitry Yakunin, member of the Board of the Regional Cinema Support Fund, member of the Public Council of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
The main projects organised with the participation of the production centre include the Pitching Session of Debutants, the portal for young cinematographers MovieStart, the Moscow International Film Festival “Let’s Live”, the Script Writing Laboratory “Method” to name but a few.
VKontakte: https://vk.com/shortfilmdays
Telegram channel of the festival: https://t.me/shortfilmdays
In 2014, the All-Russian Event Short Film Days was held in our country for the first time, coinciding with 21st December, the shortest day of the year. In 2022, the project received the status of an international film festival and was supported by the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives (PFCI). Such famous film makers and experts as Vladimir Khotinenko, Yuri Bykov, Anton Kalinkin, Ivan Kudryavtsev, Vladimir Kott, Maria Lemesheva, Sergey Pershin, Alexander Tsypkin and others have sat on the jury over the years.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZER
MOVIESTART PRODUCTION CENTRE
The MovieStart Production Centre was established in 2019 to support young film makers in Russia and promote various formats of author developed feature and non-feature films, such as short films, web series, film almanacs, social commercials, etc.
The centre was founded by Dmitry Yakunin, member of the Board of the Regional Cinema Support Fund, member of the Public Council of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
The main projects organised with the participation of the production centre include the Pitching Session of Debutants, the portal for young cinematographers MovieStart, the Moscow International Film Festival “Let’s Live”, the Script Writing Laboratory “Method” to name but a few.
VKontakte: https://vk.com/shortfilmdays
Telegram channel of the festival: https://t.me/shortfilmdays
Photo: Press service of the Short Film Days Festival