Ukrainian Cinema Not To Be Represented

Despite his preoccupation with the Balkan conflict, Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov turned his eyes to Russian cinema and placed the Cinetaur fete under his personal auspices. It is not yet known who will be the festival's general sponsor this year. The contest will be represented by such films as Denis Yevstignieyev's Mama, Vladimir Grammatikov's Greetings from Charlie the Trumpeter, Aleksandr Rogozhkin's Checkpoint, etc. Winners will be chosen in six categories: the special jury prize, best male and female roles, Michael Tariverdiyev best score prize, Golden Rose prize, and the traditional Grand Prix. Incidentally, according to actor Oleg Yankovsky, the principle of award-winning will be different in honor of the Cinetaur jubilee. If, by the festival's beginning, Russia does not plunge into another financial crisis and the sponsor does not go bankrupt, the Grand Prix amount will be a true sensation in the history of Russian cinema.

Cinetaur will, for the first time, host a Big Hat tennis tournament, to which it is planned to invite well-known politicians in order to draw their attention to the neglected state of art in the country and to change their opinion of the film festival as a freebie bash.

It is noteworthy that the jury headed by Armen Medvedev will consist this year of previous years' jury presidents: Vadim Abdrashitov, Oleg Tabakov, Vladimir Voinovich, Karen Shakhnazarov, Vladimir Khotinenko, Rustam Ibragimbekov, Miron Chernenko, and Yegor Yakovlev.

In keeping with tradition, the Russian contest will take place in tandem with the sixth International Festival with a jury presided over by Polish film director Krzysztof Zanussi. This forum is expected to be visited by French star Annie Girardot, who has already confirmed her participation in the festival, and other movie celebrities. The contest program here is represented by 17 films from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Austria, France, Brazil, and Georgia.

As for Ukraine, director of the Youth Festival Andriy Khalpakhchi told The Day the only movie made in Ukraine last year, Olena Diachenko's Two Yuliyas, has already been shown at the Cineshock Forum and cannot under Cinetaur rules, take part in the contest. We will probably be only represented at the Russian jubilee festival by a delegation of filmmakers and journalists.