Interfax hosted a press conference on the opening of the 19th PeterKiT International Student Film Festival

On November 13, 2019, a press conference was held at the Interfax North-West news agency on the opening of the 19th PeterKiT International Film Festival for Student Films, which, according to good tradition, takes place during the St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum. During the conference, speakers talked about the festival program, discussed the trends of modern cinema and answered questions from the audience.

Speakers at the press conference were: Rector of St. Petersburg State University of Film and Television, Professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, President of the PeterKiT Festival Alexander Evmenov; screenwriter, film director, actor, people's artist of the Russian Federation, artistic director of the festival Viktor Merezhko; Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Soviet and Russian film playwright, member of the Union of Russian Filmmakers, artist, film actor, film director, chairman of the jury of the festival Alexander Adabashyan; People's Artist of the Russian Federation, Soviet and Russian animator, director of animated films Yuri Norshtein; People's Artist of the Russian Federation, Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter, teacher Andrei Khrzhanovsky; Director, Professor of St. Petersburg State University of Film and Television, Head of the Department of Directing, People's Artist of the Russian Federation Konstantin Lopushansky; Director, scriptwriter, graduate of St. Petersburg State University of Cinema and Television Ilya Severov; Dean of the Department of Screen Arts, Festival Director Pavel Danilov.

Opening the press conference, Alexander Evmenov noted that the festival is developing, its geography is expanding, and this has a positive effect on the number of received applications:

– Every year we observe a positive trend. This year, 371 applications were submitted to the festival: 147 film schools from 29 countries. The program selected 75 films. A rich program is also planned in documentary films: viewers will see 21 work by Russian and foreign film schools. The competition is held in 16 nominations. In addition to film screenings, round tables, master classes, competitions, presentations and a large scientific and practical conference will be held as part of the festival.

PeterKiT's artistic director Viktor Merezhko emphasized that the festival grew from a university competition into a cultural event of international scale:

– Both the festival and the university are gaining momentum from year to year. But at the same time, the festival and SPUFT don't compete with anyone. The task is to gather great masters and give students the opportunity to adopt their love for the profession and devotion to it. A positive result is evident: PiterKiT steadily receives many applications from foreign schools.

Alexander Adabashyan arrived at the press conference immediately after a creative meeting with students of St. Petersburg State University of Film and Television. The artist noted that it was a lively and fascinating dialogue with the audience. He said that he, as the chairman of the festival, would need to be as concentrated and attentive as possible:

– During the festival, I had a creative meeting with university students and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by their involvement and interest in the profession. They asked good questions that interested me when I was at the very beginning of my cinematic journey. From the point of view of the chairman of the jury, I want to say that a difficult job awaits us: to grasp the main thing that has been shot by students and to distinguish the most worthy of the worthy!

Yuri Norshtein elaborated on the trends and current issues of modern cinema:

– Now there are a lot of money issues around the cinema. And this adversely affects creativity. Cinema cannot exist in conditions of total monetary relations. It is alive thanks to the indestructible love of the profession. The proof of this is a large number of animated films at the student film festival!

The colleague and member of the jury of the festival, animator Andrei Khrzhnovsky, who noted that cinema is a collective creative process, supported:

– There is no author or non-author movie. All movies are author. Its authors are all those who worked on it. You need to be able to make a creative environment and be able to work together.

The director of the department of directing, people's artist of the Russian Federation Konstantin Lopushansky formulated the main achievement of the festival:

– Communication with professionals is the highest value. Our students have such an opportunity. Such an authoritative jury, as this year, seems to be the first for us. I wish all participants and guests of the film festival to get not only experience, but also the pleasure of communicating with the masters.

Using the opportunity of direct communication at the press conference, Ilya Severov thanked the university for the opportunity to present his film at the opening of the festival. He wished the participants good luck:

– In my first year, in 2004, I received a prize at PeterKiT for my debut work. I could not even think that after so many years my film would open the festival. It is very honorable and pleasant. The team of the filmmakers mainly consisted of graduates of SPUFT. Many thanks to the university for this opportunity. And most importantly, I am happy to be with my master, Konstantin Lopushansky.

At the end of the press conference, PeterKiTa Director Pavel Danilov elaborated on the festival program and answered questions from mass media representatives.

SPUFT Information Service