As is tradition, the festival began on Cosmonautics Day, April 12. This year, the opening ceremony was held for the first time in an open-air venue at the State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics named after K. E. Tsiolkovsky. The VI Tsiolkovsky International Space Film Festival features 108 films from 25 countries, including retrospectives and special screenings.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Honored Artist of Russia Nonna Grishayeva and Honored Art Worker of Russia Gediminas Taranda.
Festival President and People's Artist of Russia Igor Ugolnikov welcomed the guests. He noted that the number six is especially symbolic for this year's festival.
“We know that every person has five basic senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. The sixth sense is often referred to as intuition. We must remember that Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was not only a practical scientist, but also a philosopher of science and one of the key representatives of Russian cosmism. And intuition, one of the core qualities of cosmism, will be a key element of our sixth festival,” said Igor Ugolnikov.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Honored Artist of Russia Nonna Grishayeva and Honored Art Worker of Russia Gediminas Taranda.
Festival President and People's Artist of Russia Igor Ugolnikov welcomed the guests. He noted that the number six is especially symbolic for this year's festival.
“We know that every person has five basic senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. The sixth sense is often referred to as intuition. We must remember that Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was not only a practical scientist, but also a philosopher of science and one of the key representatives of Russian cosmism. And intuition, one of the core qualities of cosmism, will be a key element of our sixth festival,” said Igor Ugolnikov.
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky himself addressed the audience on screen; it was made possible by a neural network.
With a clapboard and the call “Let’s go!”, the film festival was officially opened by Deputy Governor of the Kaluga Region Konstantin Gorobtsov and Igor Ugolnikov.
The Chair of the Festival Jury, Director of the State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics Natalia Abakumova, drew attention to the symbolism of the number of films featured this year - 108. The first human spaceflight lasted exactly 108 minutes, and this feat by Yuri Gagarin became the defining event of the 20th century. April 12 is celebrated worldwide as the Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics, and in Kaluga, it also marks the opening of the Tsiolkovsky International Space Film Festival.
With a clapboard and the call “Let’s go!”, the film festival was officially opened by Deputy Governor of the Kaluga Region Konstantin Gorobtsov and Igor Ugolnikov.
The Chair of the Festival Jury, Director of the State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics Natalia Abakumova, drew attention to the symbolism of the number of films featured this year - 108. The first human spaceflight lasted exactly 108 minutes, and this feat by Yuri Gagarin became the defining event of the 20th century. April 12 is celebrated worldwide as the Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics, and in Kaluga, it also marks the opening of the Tsiolkovsky International Space Film Festival.
The ceremony also commemorated the anniversary of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. In the past, camels were a common sight on the road to the launch site, and a real camel made an appearance at the festival, strolling near the stage during a performance by Kaluga’s Safari Drums ensemble. At the same time, tulips, symbols of Baikonur, were handed out to the audience.
Also on opening day, a photo exhibition by TASS dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Baikonur opened at the Museum of the History of Cosmonautics. This was announced in a video message by Andrey Kondrashov, Director General of the Russian News Agency TASS and a member of the festival jury. The exhibition was opened by Deputy Head of TASS Ekaterina Titova.
Another exhibition launched as part of the festival was the photo-documentary display “The First Cosmonaut Detachment,” commemorating the 65th anniversary of the formation of the first cosmonaut team in February 1960. The exhibit was presented by Marina Malyutina, Director of the Russian State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation (RGANTD).
During the ceremony, the festival program was presented by Andrey Lobanov, Head of the Russian Planetarium Association and Program Director of the full-dome film section, along with Oleg Ugolnikov, Senior Researcher at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and curator of the full-dome film program.
Another exhibition launched as part of the festival was the photo-documentary display “The First Cosmonaut Detachment,” commemorating the 65th anniversary of the formation of the first cosmonaut team in February 1960. The exhibit was presented by Marina Malyutina, Director of the Russian State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation (RGANTD).
During the ceremony, the festival program was presented by Andrey Lobanov, Head of the Russian Planetarium Association and Program Director of the full-dome film section, along with Oleg Ugolnikov, Senior Researcher at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and curator of the full-dome film program.
Poet, fabulist, and Honored Art Worker of Russia Vlad Malenko read his poem “Russian Beacons” to the audience. On April 14, he will present his one-man show Man for Love at the ICC's transformable hall.
The VI Tsiolkovsky Film Festival received submissions from 120 countries, with works from 25 countries making it into the final program. The documentary section includes 16 short and 11 feature-length films.
“No matter what is happening in the modern world or how difficult our lives may be today, space is a theme that unites the entire world, that reconciles everyone, and that will save humanity,” said Igor Prokopenko, documentary filmmaker, journalist, TV presenter, writer, and Program Director of the festival’s documentary section.
Honored Artist of the RSFSR, film director, screenwriter, actress, and producer Natalia Bondarchuk is presenting her documentary film Altai. The Seed of the Future at the festival. The film commemorates the 150th anniversary of Nicholas Roerich and the 120th anniversary of Svyatoslav Roerich. The ICC’s Innovative Ballet Theater presented a special number dedicated to the Roerichs.
“I met Svyatoslav Nikolayevich Roerich three times in 1992! This film is precious to me because of those memories,” Natalia Bondarchuk said from the stage.
Irina Soshnikova, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Producing at VGIK and Program Director for feature films and animation, invited Kaluga residents to film screenings held at the Museum of the History of Cosmonautics, the Innovative Culture Center, the House of Folk Art, the Central Cinema, and the Kaluga Regional Scientific Library named after V.G. Belinsky.
“No matter what is happening in the modern world or how difficult our lives may be today, space is a theme that unites the entire world, that reconciles everyone, and that will save humanity,” said Igor Prokopenko, documentary filmmaker, journalist, TV presenter, writer, and Program Director of the festival’s documentary section.
Honored Artist of the RSFSR, film director, screenwriter, actress, and producer Natalia Bondarchuk is presenting her documentary film Altai. The Seed of the Future at the festival. The film commemorates the 150th anniversary of Nicholas Roerich and the 120th anniversary of Svyatoslav Roerich. The ICC’s Innovative Ballet Theater presented a special number dedicated to the Roerichs.
“I met Svyatoslav Nikolayevich Roerich three times in 1992! This film is precious to me because of those memories,” Natalia Bondarchuk said from the stage.
Irina Soshnikova, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Producing at VGIK and Program Director for feature films and animation, invited Kaluga residents to film screenings held at the Museum of the History of Cosmonautics, the Innovative Culture Center, the House of Folk Art, the Central Cinema, and the Kaluga Regional Scientific Library named after V.G. Belinsky.
In a video message from Star City, Hero of Russia and cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev sent warm wishes to festival-goers, encouraging them to once again experience “cosmic” emotions, the spirit of discovery, and a shared sense of pride. He will personally attend the festival on April 16, with a public meeting scheduled at the ICC's transformable hall at 5:30 PM.
Following the formal opening ceremony, attendees were presented with the Festival’s International Anthology: five short films that capture the diversity and spirit of the festival.
The Tsiolkovsky International Space Film Festival is held with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, the Government and Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Kaluga Region. Festival partners include State Corporation "Roscosmos," Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Research Institute, the State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics, the Kaluga regional branch of the All-Russian Public Movement “Volunteers of Culture,” and other public and commercial organizations.
The festival’s key media partner is TASS, supported by media partnerships from Roscosmos Media and TRK "Nika."
The Tsiolkovsky International Space Film Festival is held with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, the Government and Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Kaluga Region. Festival partners include State Corporation "Roscosmos," Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Research Institute, the State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics, the Kaluga regional branch of the All-Russian Public Movement “Volunteers of Culture,” and other public and commercial organizations.
The festival’s key media partner is TASS, supported by media partnerships from Roscosmos Media and TRK "Nika."