Russia

Ksenia Udodova

Credits and Biography

Film Still

Anastasia Kopylova

Credits and Biography

film still

Jury Statement

Ksenia Udodova, Pride without Prejudice

The jury unanimously decided that the best film was, without any doubt, Pride without Prejudice, written and directed by Ksenia Udodova. This film courageously treats a current, burning topic. The filmmaker managed to realize the concept she outlined in her treatment and to paint a realistic picture of rural Russia. In addition, it also manages, probably most importantly, to rattle its audience with a simple but important question, asked not in a primitive but in a very precise way: Aren’t the protagonists dangerously similar to the people who brought Adolf Hitler to power in the 1920s and 1930s? Maybe the whole thing is not as funny and harmless as it seems—that is the film’s painful main point. We need to acknowledge the filmmakers’ courage. One can imagine how difficult it must have been to get those images. Congratulations!

Anastasia Kopylova, Behind the Wall

The second prize goes to the film Behind the Wall, written and directed by Anastasia Kopylova. For the work of a student, this film shows a remarkable level of professionalism. The director managed to make a convincing film about every person’s relationship to his or her country (or planet, home, hometown etc.).