ANTARES - International Film Festival

About

🎬 ANTARES is the first international film festival entirely dedicated to the world of work and professions. We seek films and screenplays where work is not just a backdrop, but the heart of the story—the foundation for revealing character, conflict, and the greatness of the ordinary person.

💥 We're changing the game. A traditional festival is a film's finale. ANTARES is a powerful launchpad. Our unique mission is to take the best stories about labor and profession and bring them from festival screens directly to a multimillion-strong television audience.

🎥 Our goal is to become the voice of those whose hands and minds build reality. We explore how a factory machine, a classroom blackboard, an operating room, or a construction site becomes a space for personal transformation, struggle, and triumph.

🍿 Join us in Moscow from September 11 to 25, 2026, to witness the stories that build our world. And the winner will get the chance to have their story reach millions across the country.

🏆 Submit to ANTARES 2026. Win not just a statuette, but the grand prize—a nationwide broadcast where your film will spark a major conversation about labor, fate, and the contemporary hero.

Awards

🏆 MAIN AWARDS (THE «ANTARES» BRONZE STATUETTE)

• Festival Grand Prix
• Best Feature-Length Film
• Best Short Film
• Best Documentary Film
• Best Animated Film
• Best Screenplay

📜 SPECIAL AWARDS (DIPLOMA)

Special diplomas are awarded in each of the competitions across the following categories:

• Best Portrayal of a Profession
• Best Directing
• Best Cinematography
• Best Actor / Best Actress (for fiction films)
• Best Screenplay / Dialogue / Original Plot
• Best Music / Soundtrack
• Best Visual Realization (for animation)
• Audience Choice Award
• Special Jury Diploma

The full list of categories for each competition is available in the Festival Regulations on our website.

Rules

👁️ Festival Regulations:  https://disk.yandex.ru/d/NFKDlYFylTDqmg

📜 PROGRAM

1. International Competitions: Feature Film, Short Film, Documentary Film, Animated Film, and Screenplay competitions.
2. Non-Competitive Screenings: Thematic retrospectives and special programs about labor.
3. "ANTARES LIVE" Online Program: Closed online streams exclusively for audiences within Russia, utilizing geoblocking to protect rights. Participation is only with your explicit consent after the official selection.

‼️ RULES AND CONDITIONS (Key Points)

• Deadlines: Early deadline — January 1, 2026. Final deadline for rough cuts of 2025 films — July 31, 2026.
• Requirements: Films must be completed after January 1, 2024. Priority is given to works that have not had public screenings in the Russian Federation. Subtitles in Russian or English are mandatory.
• Fee: Participation in the competition programs requires a fee. Films with a Russian National Film Certificate are exempt from the fee.
• How to Submit: Via the official website or through partner platforms.

🥇 MAIN PRIZE: "Golden Run" — Your Premiere on Russian National Television in 2027!

The Grand Prix winner and laureates in all festival categories receive the exclusive right to the "Golden Run" — a television premiere in 2027 as part of the special format "Open Screening" on a Russian national channel with a multi-million audience (broadcast territory: Russia only). The filmmakers will also be invited to Russia (Moscow) to participate in the talk show.

This isn't just a broadcast. It's a cultural event:

• Millions of Viewers: Your film will be seen by millions of people across the country.
• Live Expert Discussion: Following the screening, leading film critics, cinema stars, public figures, and the most respected professionals from the field depicted in the film will gather in the studio. They will conduct an in-depth analysis of the film's artistic merits and discuss how it captures the essence of the profession, its challenges, and its heroism.
• National Conversation: This format guarantees unprecedented media resonance, moving your work beyond the festival circuit and turning it into a subject of nationwide discussion.

📺 The "Golden Run" is the ultimate career opportunity, a mark of the highest recognition, and a bridge between the filmmaker and the broadest possible audience. Television broadcast rights are formalized under a separate agreement with the rights holder. After the broadcast, you will receive an official audience rating certificate from the TV channel.

🎯 Why Submit Your Work to ANTARES? (Your Advantages)

1. A Shot at the "Golden Run": An opportunity no other festival offers — to bring an artistic statement about a profession to a national television broadcast, followed by a serious public discussion.
2. A Unique Thematic Platform: Your film about doctors, teachers, engineers, or farmers will be a centerpiece of our program and receive the appreciation it deserves from a targeted audience.
3. International Recognition & Jury: Your work will be evaluated by leading Russian and international filmmakers, as well as renowned experts from various professions — from industry veterans to scientists.
4. Powerful Exposure: Beyond theatrical screenings in Moscow, your film can be part of the "ANTARES LIVE" online program (a streaming of the festival lineup for a closed online audience on the festival's website), allowing it to be seen by thousands of viewers across Russia and compete for a separate Audience Choice Award.
5. An Industry Bridge: The festival is supported by the "Safety and Quality" Association and industry partners, creating a unique environment for dialogue between art and the real-world sector.

Premiere Requirements

No premiere requirement

Jury and Organizers

Alexander Halimovsky - President of the Antares International Film Festival

Andrey Afrin - Director of the Film Festival

The jury panel will include acclaimed Russian and international directors, producers, film critics, as well as experts unique to ANTARES—distinguished practitioners from various professions whose experience guarantees a profound and authentic assessment of the theme of labor. The full jury will be announced in July 2026.