Yakutsk International Film Festival

About

The first Film Festival of the republic titled ‘Cinema of the Arctic’ was held in September 2011. Many well-known Russian filmmakers attended, such as the director and producer Sergei Selyanov, screenwriter, actress and director Renata Litvinova, sound engineer Aliakper Hasan Zadeh, film critics Anton Dolin and Sergey Anashkin. After the festival federal mass media released series of publications and started numerous discussions about the phenomenon of Sakha filmmaking and attracted a lot of attention to the Yakutian cinema internationally. The ‘Cinema of the Arctic’ was the starting point in the organization of the Yakutsk International Film Festival.
The first annual Yakutsk International Film Festival was held in August 2013, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Russian Cinematographers' Union.
The Yakutsk International Film Festival is held in order to develop cultural exchange and creative collaboration between filmmakers from all over the world and aimed to improve the overall image of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
Main idea of the festival is the integration of Yakutian cinema in the Russian and world film industry. President of the Yakutsk International Film Festival is the CEO of Lenfilm studio Mr. Eduard Pichugin.

Awards

The Jury Awards the "Snow Glasses" Prizes

Main Competition:

"Golden Snow Glasses":
— Best Feature Film

"Silver Snow Glasses":
— Best Student Work
— Special Jury Prize
— Best Director
— Best Actress
— Best Actor

Audience Choice Awards for Yakutian films released since 2022 are determined through online voting on the YMCF website in the following categories:

"Golden Snow Glasses":
— Best Yakutian Film

"Silver Snow Glasses":
— Best Actress in Yakutian Cinema
— Best Actor in Yakutian Cinema

A total of 9 categories.

Winners are expected to attend the award ceremonies in person.

All Russian participants in the competition program (subject to mutual agreement) are automatically included in the list of films eligible for the "Best Regional Film of Russia" nomination in the professional film award competition "Chypchaal," scheduled for February 2025 in Yakutsk.

Rules

• Films made after January 1, 2022
• Preference is given to films that touch upon the subject of national culture in the modern world.

Subtitles: English, Russian

Premiere Requirements

No premiere requirement

Jury and Organizers

YIFF is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Russian Cinematographers' Union.