Moscow — On March 6, 2026 at 4:00 PM, a press conference will be held where the organizers will present the new philosophy of the III International Antares Film Festival to the media. The event will take place at: Moscow, Okruzhnoy Proyezd, 18kA.
You can register for the press conference via the link https://antares-hall.timepad.ru/event/3852180/
The festival, dedicated to the Worker, will take place in Moscow from September 11 to 25, 2026. But the 2026 film festival is not just dates on a calendar. It is a reboot that will change the rules of the game for the entire film festival movement in Russia.
A traditional festival often becomes the point where a film dies for the general audience: a couple of screenings, admiration from colleagues — and the film disappears into archives. Antares breaks this model.
Our mission for 2026: to take the best stories about labor and profession and bring them from festival screens directly to a multi‑million audience.
Our goal: to become the voice of those whose hands and minds create reality. We explore how a machine tool, a classroom, an operating room, or a construction site become spaces for personal transformation, struggle, and triumph. And we will ensure that these stories are heard by the whole country.
In 2026, the festival makes a technological breakthrough by launching Antares LIVE — a full‑fledged digital ecosystem that, for the first time in Russia, will make an international film festival accessible in every corner of the country.
This is not just a broadcast. It is interactive participation: live streams of competition screenings, discussions, online voting for the Audience Award, and access to the business program for all constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
Thanks to Antares LIVE, the festival’s audience will grow to hundreds of thousands of viewers across Russia. This makes Antares the largest film festival in the country in 2026.
We don’t just show films — we give them a new life. The main prize of the festival (in addition to the bronze Antares statuette) is Golden Distribution: the television premiere of the winning films in 2027 on a federal channel in the format of an “Open Screening” featuring the authors, film critics, and recognized profession experts.
This is not an award to gather dust. It is a powerful launch for the film and its creators.
Antares is the only international film festival in Russia entirely dedicated to the theme of labor and professions. In two years, it has gained international recognition:
☑ 4,100+ submissions from 85+ countries;
☑ 179 films from 48 countries in the program (2024–2025);
☑ 12,000+ offline viewers;
☑ 2‑fold growth: from 52 films about 24 professions (2024) to 104 films about 89 professions (2025).
✔ Feature‑length live‑action films
✔ Short live‑action films
✔ Documentary films
✔ Animation films
✔ Screenplay competition
Along with the festival announcement, the organizers are opening the call for entries for filmmakers from around the world. Films must be completed after January 1, 2024. The deadline is July 31, 2026.
You can submit your work on the official website: www.antares.film, as well as through the platforms FilmFreeway, FestHome, and “Our Festivals”.
In 2026, in partnership with the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR), a short video competition for trade union members has been established. This is an opportunity to tell about your profession from the inside — honestly, sincerely, and with talent.
The best works will be included in the festival program and aired on the Antares TV channel and FNPR media resources.
● Aleksandr Khalimovsky — President of the Antares Film Festival, President of the “Safety and Quality” Association
● Andrey Afrin — Festival Director, Program Director of the film festival, film director
● Aleksandr Shershukov — Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR)
● Manifesto of the III Festival: why Antares is changing the film festival agenda in Russia
● How and where the film festival will take place, who will be on the jury, and how to submit your film or screenplay to the competition
● Presentation of Antares LIVE and Golden Distribution
● Announcement of the call for entries opening
● Introduction of the “Trade Union Close‑Up” competition
● Q&A session
Media contacts:
Antares Film Festival Press Service
Phone: +7 (925) 410-99-00
Email: press@antares.film
Website: www.antares.film
III International Antares Film Festival: September 11–25, 2026, Moscow. Admission to all screenings is free. All of Russia on Antares LIVE.
#Antares2026 #CinemaAboutLabor #Worker #Reboot #GoldenDistribution #AntaresLIVE
09.10.2026 г.
01.10.2026 г.
30.09.2026 г.
