Nominees for the prestigious fifth annual Golden Unicorn Awards have been selected from over 400 entries across 11 hotly contested categories with the participation of the Russian top talent Kirill Serebrennikov and Chulpan Khamatova. Anna Smith, a renowned UK film critic, is a Chair of the International Jury. The red-carpet awards ceremony will take place on 5 December in London at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
This year’s nominees highlight the wealth of talent and diversity within the Russian film industry, with the shortlist featuring some of the greatest and established names in Russian cinema and its brightest new talent side by side. The international jury judges entries from Russia and the Russian jury votes on films about Russia or films with a Russian connection.
The awards have two separate juries: an international and a Russian jury, providing a unique opportunity to recognise both Russian and foreign films through a cross-cultural lens. The Golden Unicorn Awards have now become an important annual event in the Russian and European film industry calendar.
The unique unicorn statuettes, made of Bohemian crystal glass and decorated with 24-carat gold leaf, will be awarded at a star-studded ceremony on 5 December 2021 at the Royal Theatre Haymarket. It will celebrate achievements of Russian cinematography and international filmmakers creating Russian-themed films. The event is a part of a weeklong Russian Film Festival that will take place in the UK from 28 November to 5 December.
British film critic Anna Smith, chair of the 2021 judges, said: “As a critic, I’ve been enjoying watching rich, rewarding work from Russia, from soul-searching contemporary dramas to challenging period thrillers. I was delighted to be asked to be President of the jury – though to be honest, they had me at the words ‘Golden Unicorn’.”
Filip Perkon, founder and general producer of the Golden Unicorn Awards, explained what makes this year’s ceremony special: “This year’s edition is unusual because it represents films from the last two years, which has made competition fiercer. Guided by the principle of fairness, the jury members and organisers were unable to ignore the achievements of the previous pandemic year, when we had to cancel the event. Our European selection committee has done a tremendous job of screening over 400 films. Now the shortlist is in the hands of our expert international jury, but whatever their choice will be, we are confident that the list of nominations itself is a proper representation of contemporary Russian cinema viewed through the perspective of Western audiences.”
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OTHER MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL JURY ARE:
Rosalind Eleazar – an English stage and screen actress. Her TV roles include Christine in the BBC series Rellik, Jacky Bast in Howards End, Kate in the ITV series Deep Water, as well as roles in NW, National Treasure and Harlots.
Michael Elkin – director and writer Michael Elkin started as an actor. With 17 roles under his belt, he has now co-produced and directed a feature film Break with Rutger Hauer. Michael has recently formed Elk Entertainment and their first film The Lawton Project will be completed soon.
Dolya Gavanski – an actress, producer and documentary director who has worked with Michael Winterbottom, Angelina Jolie, Sir Trevor Nunn, and Susanna White. In 2019, she directed and produced the critically acclaimed documentary “Women’s day”.
Steve Furst – an actor and comedian who regularly appeared in Little Britain and The Lenny Beige Television Show. TV roles include Rock Profiles (BBC), Bodies (BBC), three series of the BAFTA nominated Legend of Dick and Dom. Movie credits include St Trinians 1 & 2, Chalet Girl and Walk like a Panther. On stage, credits include Chicken Soup with Barley, Matilda, Made in Dagenham, and Mr. Gum and the Dancing Bear at the National Theatre in 2019.
Maya Sanbar – a multi-disciplinary artist, who creates site specific immersive installations at key landmarks including the Berlin Wall in Germany and the Coronet Theatre in London. She has a track record of award winning films for over 15 years.
Victor Jenkins – a casting director best known for his work in Mile High (2004-2005), Robinhood (2007), Unforgotten(2015-2021), Broadchurch(2013), Des (2020) and Fleabag (2016).
Marine Tanguy –an art dealer, mentored by Steve Lazarides and Michael Ovitz. Founder of MTArt Agency and a winner of Forbes 2018 ‘30 under 30 Europe: Art & Culture’ and ‘UK Entrepreneur of the Year’ for the 2019 NatWest Everywoman Awards.
Vera Graziadei – an actor, writer, director and producer, she has co-produced The Book of Vision, starring Charles Dance and Lotte Verbeek and executively produced by Terrence Malick. The film opened Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival.
James Hacking – a writer, director and producer, a long-time member of British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Directors UK. Directed and produced “Love’s Kitchen”, associate produced the upcoming biopic on George Michael.
David Martinez – festival producer for the Raindance Film Festival, guest film programmer at Glastonbury Festival for Latin America.
David P. Kelly – producer (‘Mad about Mambo’, ‘I Hired a Contract Killer’, ‘Two Women’ with Ralph Fiennes, ‘The Storms of Jeremy Thomas’.
Adam Morse – an award-winning filmmaker from London. Audience Award for ‘Best Short Film’ at the London Independent Film Festival; Official Selection at Cannes Film Festival’s Marche du Film.
THE RUSSIAN JURY MEMBERS 2021
Alisa Khazanova – the chairwoman of the jury, a film and theatre actress, director, screenwriter, producer and a former Bolshoi Theatre ballet dancer and choreographer. Her acting credits include 32 films and TV series including A Tale of Darkness and 977(official programme of the Cannes Film Festival), The Last Minister, The Comedian and The Woman in Black with Daniel Radcliffe. She directed, wrote and produced “The Shards” in 2017
Denis Kataev – journalist with a PhD in Political Science, screenwriter, producer and presenter at Dozhd (Rain) TV channel. A contributor to the Art of Cinema magazine, GQ, Esquire, etc. In 2016, he co-authored a screenplay for the film“23.59”, in 2021 – for the documentary “Bondarchuk.Battle”.
Oleg Asadulin – director, scriptwriter, producer, clip maker, a graduate of the Film and Television Institute in Germany. His filmography includes 20 films such as “Dark World. Equilibrium”, “The Green Carriage”, “Deadly Illusions”, TV series “Closed School” and others.
Ieva Andrejevaite – an actress, she starred in more than 30 films in Russia, Ukraine and the UK, among them – “Startup”, “He’s a Dragon”, “Penal Enforcer”, “Dear Daddy” and “Good Boy” – the winner of the “Kinotavr” film festival.
THE FULL LIST OF NOMINATIONS FOR 2021
Best Film
Captain Volkonogov Escaped by N. Merkulova and A. Chupov
Doctor Liza by O.Karas
Jetlag by M. Idov
Palmyra by I. Bolotnikov
Portrait of a Stranger by S.Osipyan
The Dorm by R.Vasyanov
The Oath by R.Nesterenko
Best Screenplay
A Frenchman (A. Smirnov)
Captain Volkonogov Escaped (N.Merkulova, A.Chupov, M.Tanie)
Petrov’s Flu (K.Serebrennikov)
Portrait of a Stranger (A.Lungin, S.Osipyan, K.Kiyashko)
Best Debut
Elsa’s Land by Y.Kolesnik
Next Station: Russia by I.Sosnin
The Little Warrior by I.Yermolov
The Dorm by R.Vasyanov
Best Short Film
After us by Inna Tsgoeva
Ink Ocean by Ivan Sosnin
Higher levels by Aleksey Saprykin,Ekaterina Germ-Uvarova
Promises by Lana Vlady
White heterosexual male by Gleb Ross
Sister by Alina Dotsenko
Best Documentary
A Boy by V. Akimov
Far Eastern Golgotha by J. Sergina
RESUSCITATION by S.Stavinov, А.Timoschenko
Waiting List by N. Makhanko
Sockeye Salmon.Red fish by Dmitriy Shpilenok,Vladislav Grishin
Best Emerging Talent
Philip Yuriev (director, Kitoboy)
Polina Gukhman (actress, Masha)
Ilya Sigalov (actor, The Little Warrior)
Alexander Choi (director, The Time She Comes)
Best Actress
Svetlana Khodtchenkova (Another name)
Ekaterina Ageeva (Fairy)
Chulpan Khamatova (Petrov´s Flu)
Victoria Isakova (The Three)
Marina Vasilyeva (The Dorm)
Maryana Spivak (Tsoy)
Best Actor
Yuri Borisov (Captain Volkonogov Escaped)
Merab Ninidze (House Arrest)
Semen Serzin (Petrov’s Flu)
Konstantin Khabensky (The Three)
Piotr Skvortsov (The time she comes)
Best Animation Film
Secret Magic Control Agency by A.Tzitzilin
Ginger’s Tale by K.Schyokin
The Nose or the Conspiracy of Mavericks by A.Khrzhanovsky
Best Foreign Documentary about Russia
Bless You, T. Chistova (Poland)
Boris Volkoff: The Russian Father of the Canadian Ballet, М.Kravchinskii (Canada)
Kunashir, V. Kozlov (France)
Oleg, N.Tass (USA)
Saving North: Rescuing the Wooden Churches of Northern Russia, J.Mitchell Johnson (USA)
Best Foreign Film with a Russian Connection
Bloodsuckers, J. Radlmaier (Germany)
Immortalist, V. Kozlov (USA)
What We Call Love. Red, D.Silov (Latvia)
