Today in Moscow, a press conference was held that officially opened the call for entries for the III International Antares Film Festival — the only film festival in the world entirely dedicated to the worker and to professions. The event, held on the eve of International Women’s Day, brought together leaders of the film industry, representatives of the government, trade unions, and business to present the new philosophy of the festival movement.
The participants in the press conference were: Andrey Afrin — Director of the Antares Film Festival, Olga Prokofieva — People’s Artist of Russia, Aleksey Bezyukov — Technical Labor Inspector of the FNPR, Elena Nikitan — Director at the Kultura TV channel, Sergey Chernyaev — Chairman of the Board of the All‑Russian Movement “Worker”, Anastasia Nefedova — Editor‑in‑Chief of the “Raskadrovka” project.
The organizers announced a reboot of the concept: Antares is now not the final stop for distribution, but a powerful launch for talented stories. The festival will take place in Moscow from September 12 to 25, 2026, and its main mission is to bring the true hero of our time back to the screen.
The key distinction of Antares is its rejection of the “selected, screened, forgotten” model. The winners of the festival will receive not only a bronze statuette, but also the main prize — Golden Distribution: a guaranteed television premiere on federal channels, giving the films access to a multi‑million audience.
Antares LIVE: cinema without borders
In 2026, the festival makes a technological breakthrough by launching Antares LIVE — Russia’s first digital ecosystem for a film festival. Now viewers from any part of the country can follow the competition screenings live, vote for the Audience Award, and participate in discussions, bridging distances.
Competition program: from professionals to amateurs
The call for entries for the competitions is now open and will last until July 31, 2026. Filmmakers from around the world with films completed after January 1, 2024 are invited to participate.
Submit your film here: https://antares.film/application-form-for-participation-in-the-competition
This year, with the support of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR), a special competition “Trade Union Close‑Up” has been launched. It is an opportunity for employees of enterprises to tell about their profession, trade union life, and colleagues through the language of short video.
Submit your video to the trade union competition: https://antares.film/fnpr-application-form
Antares breaks the standard rules of film evaluation. For the first time in the history of Russian film festivals, an open international call for jury members has been announced. Directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, producers, and film critics from around the world can apply to evaluate the films. The jury will work in two formats: remote (via the Antares LIVE platform) and in‑person (in Moscow).
Submit your application to join the jury here: https://antares.film/jury
The backbone of the festival will be the business program “CinemaDialogue” — a creative workshop for filmmakers from the regions, where industry masters will share the secrets of creating compelling cinema about labor.
Traditionally, the festival will open with the “Parade of Professions” on September 12 at the Palace on the Yauza — a historic meeting point of working‑class culture and cinematic art. The first to walk the red carpet will not be stars, but the heroes themselves: representatives of various professions. The ceremony will conclude with the awarding of the “Professional” honorary badge, which stars of Russian cinema present to ordinary people for their dedicated work.
Business program “CinemaDialogue”: https://antares.film/kinodealogue/
A sign of high federal recognition is Antares’ inclusion in the Action Plan of the Russian Trilateral Commission (RTC) for 2026 under the patronage of Tatyana Golikova. The festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the FNPR, the Union of Cinematographers, and leading companies such as TechnoProgress, Sovcombank, and Tricolor.
“We are breaking the old model. Antares is a launch to a wide audience, a launch to national recognition. We are not handing out awards to gather dust — we are giving them a ticket to life,” said Andrey Afrin, Director of the film festival.
More about the Antares Film Festival on the official website: www.antares.film
Media accreditation will open in June 2026.
Media contacts:
For accreditation and additional information, please contact the Antares Film Festival press service at: press@antares.film
About the festival:
The III International Antares Film Festival is traditionally dedicated to the worker — the engineer, teacher, doctor, builder, representatives of more than 200 professions. In two years, the project has gathered over 4,000 submissions from 70 countries, and its winning films receive a chance for federal broadcast.
09.10.2026 г.
01.10.2026 г.
30.09.2026 г.
