Flahertiana is to announce the short-list of Student Films Competition. This year, we received almost two times more applications than in 2017. From more than a hundred films the selection committee has chosen fifteen: traditionally in the number of selected works leading are Marina Razbezhkina’s film school and the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK); strong films came from students of the Moscow Film School and Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors.

Despite the fact that most of the films are debut, some have already managed to receive film awards, for example, "Therapy" by Yulia Sergina (Laurel Branch for the Best Debut).

Olga Averkieva, the program curator, says that for the first time in several years films where the action does not take place in Russia were received: "The biggest stream of the films from students is mostly films about themselves, family or friends, something very ‘nearby’, so we were interested in documentaries alienated from the personality of the directors. E.g. the film "Mission" (directed by Klavdia Bershadskaya) shows how a volunteer works with children in Africa, in "The Seal of King Solomon" (directed by Maya Gimayeva) we see a sniper, who became a photographer, prints pictures of naked girls on whom he wrote the Bible, and exhibits works in Venice”.

Among the new topics are protests in Moscow. About this is the film "Free Radicals" (directed by Daria Gnashko). Olga Averkieva notes that Marina Razbezhkina's pupils can film the way as if the characters live without a camera — they completely ignore it and therefore really open to the viewer. Another such film is "Happy New Year Galy". About the Snow Maiden on children's matinees, which once meets the hopeful Father Frost.

The winner of the student competition will receive a money prize of 20 thousand rubles. And there is a separate prize — a certificate for the promotion of the film will be presented by the partner of the festival Festagent.

Student Films Competition of Flahertiana-2018:

Great Scenery

dir. Yulia Balabanova

House

dir. Yulia Sevrukova

Jammed

dir. Ksenia Shkreba

What

dir. Maria Semenova

Makary

dir. Viktor Belanov

Mission

dir. Klavdia Bershadskaya

Our City

dir. Kirill Proskurin

Not Far Away

dir. Aleksey Yevstigneev

The Seal of King Solomon

dir. Maya Gimaeva

Happy New Year to Galy

dir. Lada Iskanderova

Free Radicals

dir. Daria Gnashko

Simoron

dir. Anastasia Vasilets

Sybzyoup (I Feel Good)

dir. Natalia Rudanovskaya

Therapy

dir. Yulia Sergina

Yards

dir. Andrei Korytko