The final stage of the #SVOeKINO patriotic film and media project pitching took place at the International Festival of Youth. Both emerging and experienced authors presented 10 of the best projects, most of them based on real stories about active participants in the special military operation, veterans, military medics, volunteers, rescuers, and many others whose lives and destinies have been touched by the events of the SVO. The #SVOeKINO pitch is the culmination of a program of the same name that has been run since 2023 at the Meganom Academy of Creative Industries (a Tavrida.ART project) with support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
The IFY 2026 Cultural Program is operated by Tavrida.ART. IFY 2026 is held as part of Youth and Children national project.
The pitch expert council included Sergei Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation; Sergei Novikov, Chief of the Presidential Directorate for Social Projects; Alexander Zhuravsky, Deputy Chief of the Presidential Directorate for Social Projects; Sergei Pershin, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation; Denis Pushilin, Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic; Ksenia Artemyeva, General Director of ANO Tavrida.Art and Program Director of the IFY —2026; Alexey Goreslavsky, Director General of the ANO Internet Development Institute; Roman Karmanov, Director General of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives; Steven Seagal, actor, producer, director, and screenwriter; Vitaly Kuznetsov, Ataman of the All-Russian Cossack Society and Cossack General; and other government officials, representatives of ministries and agencies, federal funds and grantmakers, heads of major television channels and media holdings, online cinemas and digital video services, and film studios and production companies.
Ten film projects were presented, including feature and documentary films and series, as well as one animated film. One of the projects, “Real Spinning Top. Gambling with One Life”, is based on the story of its author, young Cossack Vladislav Trush, who took part in the #SVOeKINO program and became the model for the main character. The film — a psychological war drama, biopic, and fantasy — tells the story of Vlad, a young gamer from Belgorod who, after graduating from the First Cossack University, finds himself in the special military operation zone. His gaming experience helps him navigate real combat conditions — work with maps, radio intercepts, and modern technology, make decisions, and save his comrades. Gorky Film Studio, one of the oldest and largest film companies in Russia, supported the idea of young authors Vladislav Trush and Anton Pyatnitsky. It was Yuliana Slashcheva, Director General of Gorky Film Studio, who presented the authors with a certificate for expert support from the studio’s Production Center.
Alexei Yasinsky, Advisor to the Ataman of the All-Russian Cossack Society and deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Zaporozhye Region, also supported the authors at the pitch.
“We are happy to support the initiatives of our Cossacks. The ‘Real Spinning Top’ project speaks with young viewers in a language they understand — the language of video games, and the language of responsibility for decisions made. Today, modern video games develop in future fighters such skills as speed of decision-making, spatial thinking, and the ability to work with their environment. I hope you will also support this film project,” he told the pitch experts.
Another finalist project — the full-length feature film “Lee’s Love” — was recognized by the “AVTOR” Non-Profit Organization, which supports and develops cinema and the social institution of authorship in Russia. The film about the touching love of a Russian girl from Donetsk and a young man from China, by director and screenwriter Olga Shulgina-Moskalenko, received a certificate for non-competitive participation in AVTOR’s social industry program for screenwriter support.
The project of historical documentary-animated series “Commandant” by director Maria Andreeva and producer Victoria Rashina received a certificate from the Moskino film park, that grants the right to three shooting days at the world’s largest film park for outdoor shooting. The certificate was presented to the authors by Evgenia Podobreevskaya, Deputy Director General of ANO Moskino. The historical and philosophical drama “Commandant” tells the story of four people separated by 80 years. They become military commandants and civilian leaders at turning points in history. The series’ four novellas are dedicated to the first commandant of post-war Berlin, Nikolai Berzarin; the first commandant of post-war Budapest, Ivan Zamertsev; Natalya Ivanova, head of the Kamenka-Dneprovskaya municipal district of the Zaporozhye Region; and Igor Telegin, one of the founders of the first civil administration in the city of Kherson after the start of the special military operation. The project has already received support from the governments of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.
“This project is very important to us in terms of supporting Donbass and Novorossiya, because residents of these regions, finding themselves essentially on the line of contact, despite all difficulties, strive for the better and try to do everything possible to rebuild their regions. We could not fail to support the team behind this project and will provide them every assistance, because telling the truth is always important and necessary — both 80 years ago and now,” noted Sergei Gulyaev, Deputy Governor of the Zaporozhye Region and Head of the Representative Office.
Other finalists of the pitch included the war drama “Of Cats and People” by Denis Galenko, dedicated to volunteers rescuing animals from the combat zone; the documentary series “Russia — an Ark of Salvation” by Margarita Kiseleva, about foreigners who took part in the SVO; war dramas based on real stories — “The Volunteer” by Maxim Korolev and “68 Days” by Andrey Kretov; the heroic military comedy “Call Sign Cheburashka” by Andrey Pshenichnikov and Artem Gilemyanov; the full-length animated film for children and teenagers “The Tale of the Free City” (“How a Russian Bogatyr Defeated the Evil Creatures”) by Sofia Stepanenko, Roman Ilchenko, and Vladislav Korovin; and the drama series “Brothers at Heart” by Igor Marin and Elena Gudkova. The “Brothers at Heart” project has already received support from the Government of Sevastopol, where part of the filming is planned.
These projects had previously become finalists in the pitch that concluded the #SVOeKINO program on August 30 at the Russia National Center. This year, 50 feature and documentary film and media projects were presented at the pitch, 29 of them developed by participants of the #SVOeKINO program and 21 presented by well-known film industry figures. More than 35 film industry professionals — representatives of film studios, foundations, production centers, and producers from television channels and media platforms — worked as pitch experts.
The Ekaterinburg pitch also featured film projects that have already received support and are in production. David Kocharov, General Producer of the PREMIER online cinema and the RUTUBE video service, producer Vladimir Mikulich, and Nikolai Sidorov — a participant in the special military operation, screenwriter, and participant in the #SVOyaKULTURA 2024 program — presented the series “The Other Side of the Medal” about the service and daily life of volunteers in the SVO zone. Producer Maxim Korolev presented his film — the war drama “Enemy” — a story about severely wounded soldiers stranded in the grey zone. Producer Andrey Kretov presented the continuation of the series “Centuria” about the recruitment of teenagers by foreign agents. All these projects also participated in the #SVOeKINO pitching in different years.
The #SVOeKINO program has been implemented at the Meganom Academy since 2023 with support from the Russian Ministry of Culture. Its participants include professional filmmakers, journalists, volunteers, as well as SVO participants and veterans and their family members. Through a synthesis of professional language and personal testimony, artistic interpretation is given to topics of patriotism and heroism, rehabilitation and adaptation to peaceful life, labor and sports, childhood and family values, rebuilding cities, countering terrorism, intercultural cooperation, and preserving historical memory and cultural heritage. Ideas and scripts created in #SVOeKINO programs then receive professional feedback from film industry representatives at annual final pitches.
Since the program launched, 245 people have taken part, including 175 directors, screenwriters, and producers, and 70 eyewitnesses and participants of the special military operation, as well as their family members. In total, 186 film and media projects have been presented at the pitches: 36 projects in 2023, 41 in 2024, 59 in 2025, and 50 in 2026.
Many of the presented projects have already been produced and screened in cinemas. Among them, the documentary “Father” directed by Lyubov Maretskaya, the war dramas “20/22” and “The Kid” directed by Andrey Simonov, the series “Our Own” directed by Vyacheslav Kirillov, the documentary “I Didn’t Come Back from the War” directed by Alexey Lagerev, the popular series “Centuria” directed by Andrey Simonov and “Lilies of the Valley” directed by Alexander Karpilovsky, Konstantin Mazur, Mikhail Pipia, and Ilya Shpota (producer Yuriy Sapronov), as well as other projects. More than 25 other projects have already received support and are at various stages of production.
Overview:
The International Festival of Youth, held as part of the Youth and Children national project, is taking place in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 17, 2026. The decree establishing the event was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 29, 2025. The Festival is being held under the motto “Follow Your Dream”. Participants of the IFY – 2026 include 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries, including 5,000 Russians and 5,000 international citizens. Among them are leading representatives of creative industries and the arts, public administration, science and education, sport, entrepreneurship, media, digitalization and IT, and civic engagement – people who are already shaping the future of their countries and the world. Continuing the successful practice established at the World Youth Festival 2024, those invited include 1,000 teenagers aged 14 to 17 – 500 from Russia and 500 from abroad. The Children’s Program is organized by the Movement of the First.
The World Youth Festival took place from March 1 to 7, 2024, in Sirius, in accordance with a decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at developing international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.
In line with instructions from Russia’s President on preserving and building on the legacy of the World Youth Festival, festival events are now held annually across Russia. The World Youth Festival Directorate continues its work to strengthen international youth cooperation and build a community of young people who care about the future of the world.
Tavrida.Art Autonomous Non-Profit Organization develops the Tavrida art cluster — a platform of opportunities for young cultural and arts professionals that brings together the summer schools of Meganom Academy of Creative Industries, Tavrida.ART Young Art Festival, a federal network of art residencies, and other projects. Art cluster events are included in the federal project “Russia — the Country of Opportunities” under the Youth and Children national project and have been held since 2015.