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5 february 2020

New Holland Island International Debut Film Festival Announces Its 2020 Dates

The first New Holland Island International Debut Film Festival will take place in St. Petersburg from July 14 to 19, 2020. The festival was established in 2019 and marked its launch with an extensive preview programme that drew over 50,000 visitors to New Holland Island. In 2020, the festival will expand beyond the Island and will occupy several other venues in the city.

New Holland Island International Debut Film Festival is a platform for daring cinema that aims to open new perspectives and challenge the established formats of contemporary flmmaking. The festival’s mission is to support unique cinematic visions and incorporate new names into the world context. The president of the New Holland Island International Debut Film Festival is Alexander Rodnyansky, one of the most prominent producers of auteur cinema in Russia, a member of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The programme director is Alexey Artamonov, flm critic and curator of flm programmes, who has collaborated with many flm festivals and publications. The short flm programme is selected by Andrey Kartashov, flm critic, author of Russian and foreign cinema publications, winner of the Mikhail Levitin Prize for flm critics of Russia (2015).

The competition programme entries of the festival will be judged by an international jury which will include distinguished members from the industry of contemporary auteur cinema. The programme will consist of an international competition for both feature and short flms. Applications for participation in the competition programme will continue to be accepted until April 10.

The frst and second feature flms are accepted in the international competition for feature flms lasting more than 45 minutes, shot in 2019 and 2020. Documentary, experimental and fction flms with a duration of up to 45 minutes, made in 2019 and 2020 by directors who have not made their feature debuts, are accepted in the international programme for short flms. You can fnd out more information and submit an application on nhiflmfest.com website. The festival programme will be announced in June.

Besides all the preparations for the main events of the year, the New Holland Island International Debut Film Festival has announced the beginning of a new season of its educational programme. Its goal is to introduce the audience to the masters of European flm schools and various teaching methods, flms of novice flmmakers and current trends in modern cinema. All lectures and flm screenings that are part of the educational programme of New Holland Island International Debut Film Festival can be attended for free.

The new season of the educational programme will open on February 8 at 6 pm with an event with the German director Philip Gröning, professor of the Cologne International Film School, winner of the Special Jury Prize of the Venice Film Festival 2013. This will be the frst screening of his early flm Stachoviak! in Russia. The event will take place in the Pavilion of New Holland Island. Admission is free, registration is required on the website.

Additional materials for the press available at the link.

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