The «Golden Raven» team withdraws from the organizers of the Far Eastern Film Awards
February 04, 2026
The organizers of the National Cinematographic Award for High Achievement in Cinematography and Contribution to the Development of the Film Industry in the Russian Far East (hereinafter referred to as the Far Eastern Film Award) have announced a change in the team's composition. The collective of the Arctic International Film Festival «Golden Raven», led by Filipp Abryutin, is officially withdrawing from the organizers of the Far Eastern Film Award and concluding its activities within this project.
Over two years of active development, the «Far Eastern Film Award» has transformed into a viable industrial institution. During this period, the project demonstrated significant qualitative and quantitative growth:
Thanks to the team's efforts, widespread recognition was achieved for films such as Fire Fox, Do Not Bury Me Without Ivan, 9 Seconds, Legends of the Eternal Snows, Test by the North, The Gold of Umalta, and other pictures created in the Russian Far East. The award ceremonies, held in Moscow and Ulan-Ude, received extensive media coverage, exceeding 150 publications in leading media outlets in the last year alone.
The decision to withdraw from the organizing team is linked to the collective's intention to focus on producing its own films and developing its flagship project — the Arctic International Film Festival «Golden Raven».
Filipp Abryutin, Director of the Far Eastern Film Award and Artistic Director/Director of the «Golden Raven» AIFF: «Our decision to withdraw from the organizers of the Far Eastern Film Award is driven by a desire to move forward, to film movies, and to develop the largest film festival in the Far East and the Arctic — the «Golden Raven». We feel the strength and the need to develop Russian cinema through new formats and levels. The Far East is our Motherland, our destiny, and our inspiration. We are not saying goodbye to the region; we are merely changing the scale and tools of creation to continue revealing new names to the world».
Oksana Lakhno, Producer of the Far Eastern Film Award and Lead Producer of the «Golden Raven» AIFF: «For us, it was fundamentally important to turn the Far Eastern Film Award from a one-time event into a full-fledged industrial institution that operates on transparent and clear rules. We have laid the foundation: we refined the expert selection system and proved that Far Eastern cinema is a competitive product. Now, as the project has reached its peak efficiency, we hand it over with a clear conscience to focus on new creative challenges».
The award leadership expresses its gratitude for the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation, and the Government of the Republic of Buryatia. The Film Award was held with the support of the Russian Filmmakers' Union.
A special contribution to the success of the Far Eastern Film Award was made by the team that also creates the «Golden Raven» film festival: program director Alexander Solomonov, program curator Vasilina Sviridova, PR director Tatyana Rumyantseva, coordinator Elizaveta Tolkach, SMM manager Artem Semin, and many others.
The «Golden Raven» team stood at the origins of the Far Eastern Film Award, taking a most active part in its founding. This collective established the fundamental principles of the expert councils' work and the criteria for professional film selection. Under the team's leadership, the first and second solemn award ceremonies in Moscow and Ulan-Ude were successfully prepared and conducted. The next major stage for the team will be the hosting of the 10th Anniversary Arctic International Film Festival «Golden Raven» in Chukotka.
The organizers of the National Cinematographic Award for High Achievement in Cinematography and Contribution to the Development of the Film Industry in the Russian Far East (hereinafter referred to as the Far Eastern Film Award) have announced a change in the team's composition. The collective of the Arctic International Film Festival «Golden Raven», led by Filipp Abryutin, is officially withdrawing from the organizers of the Far Eastern Film Award and concluding its activities within this project.
Over two years of active development, the «Far Eastern Film Award» has transformed into a viable industrial institution. During this period, the project demonstrated significant qualitative and quantitative growth:
- Increase in applications: the number of award contenders more than doubled — from 37 participants in 2024 to 77 in 2025.
- Economic effect: the total box office receipts of the second award’s nominated films exceeded 131 million rubles, confirming the importance of Far Eastern cinema as part of the creative economy.
- Professional recognition: a federal-level Expert Council was engaged, including Vladimir Khotinenko, Yuliana Slashcheva, Dmitry Tabarchuk, Dmitry Davidenko, Roman Karmanov, Sergey Mokritskiy, Alexander Kott, Makar Kozhukhov, Vsevolod Korshunov, Natalya Nazarova, Aleksey Ryazantsev, Sergey Titinkov, and other industry leaders.
Thanks to the team's efforts, widespread recognition was achieved for films such as Fire Fox, Do Not Bury Me Without Ivan, 9 Seconds, Legends of the Eternal Snows, Test by the North, The Gold of Umalta, and other pictures created in the Russian Far East. The award ceremonies, held in Moscow and Ulan-Ude, received extensive media coverage, exceeding 150 publications in leading media outlets in the last year alone.
The decision to withdraw from the organizing team is linked to the collective's intention to focus on producing its own films and developing its flagship project — the Arctic International Film Festival «Golden Raven».
Filipp Abryutin, Director of the Far Eastern Film Award and Artistic Director/Director of the «Golden Raven» AIFF: «Our decision to withdraw from the organizers of the Far Eastern Film Award is driven by a desire to move forward, to film movies, and to develop the largest film festival in the Far East and the Arctic — the «Golden Raven». We feel the strength and the need to develop Russian cinema through new formats and levels. The Far East is our Motherland, our destiny, and our inspiration. We are not saying goodbye to the region; we are merely changing the scale and tools of creation to continue revealing new names to the world».
Oksana Lakhno, Producer of the Far Eastern Film Award and Lead Producer of the «Golden Raven» AIFF: «For us, it was fundamentally important to turn the Far Eastern Film Award from a one-time event into a full-fledged industrial institution that operates on transparent and clear rules. We have laid the foundation: we refined the expert selection system and proved that Far Eastern cinema is a competitive product. Now, as the project has reached its peak efficiency, we hand it over with a clear conscience to focus on new creative challenges».
The award leadership expresses its gratitude for the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation, and the Government of the Republic of Buryatia. The Film Award was held with the support of the Russian Filmmakers' Union.
A special contribution to the success of the Far Eastern Film Award was made by the team that also creates the «Golden Raven» film festival: program director Alexander Solomonov, program curator Vasilina Sviridova, PR director Tatyana Rumyantseva, coordinator Elizaveta Tolkach, SMM manager Artem Semin, and many others.
The «Golden Raven» team stood at the origins of the Far Eastern Film Award, taking a most active part in its founding. This collective established the fundamental principles of the expert councils' work and the criteria for professional film selection. Under the team's leadership, the first and second solemn award ceremonies in Moscow and Ulan-Ude were successfully prepared and conducted. The next major stage for the team will be the hosting of the 10th Anniversary Arctic International Film Festival «Golden Raven» in Chukotka.