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The Best Director Prize
The Silver St George to the 26th MIFF Best Director was handed by Boris Akunin, an author, a member of the Grand Jury. And it went to Dmintry Meskhiyev, Russia, who managed to make the viewer feel ” the time shrink, pulsate and practically melt” when watching his film “Us”.


Silver St George Special Jury Prize
Special Silver St George winner was announced by Armen Medvedev, member of the Grand Jury, producer, film historian. The Prize for a film that could “show the past but represent the future” went to “Revolution of Pigs”, Estonia, dir. Jaak Kilmi and Rene Reinumagi.

The Best Film Prize
The Golden St George was awarded by Alan Parker, Chairman of the 26th MIFF Grand Jury.
The Golden St George went to “Us”, Russia, dir. Dmitry Meskhiyev, who went to the stage together with the producers of the film Viktor Glukhov, Sergei Melkumov and Yelena Yatsura.
The decision to award the Russian film had been taken by the Grand Jury unanimously. “This is not only the best film of the festival, but it is one of the best I have seen lately. The Russian filmmakers should be proud of this man,” said Alan Parker handing the Prize to Dmitry Meskhiyev.

The Best Actor Prize
Bogdan Stupka was awarded the Best Actor Silver St George for his performance in “Us”. Russia. The winner was announced by Barbara Sukowa, an actress, a member of the Grand Jury.
Unfortunately, Bogdan Stupka was unable to come to the Festival and his Prize along with the Carrera y Carrera jewelry gift was received by Dmitry Meskhiyev, the director of the film.

LIFE ACHIVEMENT PRIZE: “I Believe It! Konstantin Stanislavsky”
A special Prize for Life Achievement and Fidelity to the Stanislavsky Method was awarded to Meryl Streep
The actress received the Prize out of the hands of 11-year-old Alex Prier, a descendant of Konstantin Stanislavsky.

The Best Actress Prize
The excellent performance of China Zorilla in “Talking With Mom”, Argentina, dir. Santiago Carlos Oves won her the Best Actress Silver St George that was handed to the director of the film by Polish Actor and director Jerzy Stuhr. Beside the Prize the 26th MIFF Best Actress was presented a jewelry gift from Carrera y Carrera.

The Debut Film Award
The Prize for the Best Debut Film, a participant of the 26th MIFF PERSPECTIVES program, was awarded by the Jury consisting of director Alexei Uchitel, Russia, actress Diana Dumbrava, Romania and Stefan Laudyn, director of the Warsaw Film Festival, Poland. They gave their preferences to “Hotel Venus”, Japan, dir. Hideta Takahata. The Prize was awarded by Isabel Adjani, a Guest of the 26th MIFF.
Along with the Prize Hideto Takahata received a check for $ 20,000 US and 10, 000 meters of KODAK negative film to be able to make his next film.

The Prizes of the Russian Federation of Cine Clubs
The 28 Clubs from all over Russia sent about their 80 representatives who have been working all ten days of the festival watching films of the Competition program and the Russian films.
Larisa Ostrovskaya, a representative, remarked that the quality of the Competition films was such that the ballots on different films “were very close to each other”. As a result, three films became the leaders: “Talking With Mom”, Argentina, dir. Santiago Carlos Oves, “National Bomb”, Azerbaijan, dir, Vagif Mustafayev, with the absolute leading position of “Us”, Russia, dir, Dmitry Meskhiyev.

THE 26th MIFF PEOPLE’S PRIZE
There is a tradition to award the People’s Prize at the end of the festival. At the end of every screening the viewers are to give a mark (from 1 to 5) to the film they have just seen. Mikhail Susov, MTS Marketing Vice-President, handed a small statuette of St George to Vladimir MASHKOV, director and actor, for his film PAPA, Russia.

The Russian Film Critics’ Prize
The Jury of the Russian Film Critics’ Association included Yekaterina Tarkhanova, Alyona Solntseva, Dmitry Salinsky, Leonid Pavlichyuk and Yelena Stishova, President. The main Prize of the Russian Film Critics - by tradition it was a wooden elephant – went to Dmitry MESKHIYEV for his film “Us”, Russia. The Prize was accompanied with the words: ”for an adequate conveyance of a private person’s life seen inside great historical developments”.
The Russian Film Critics’ Jury also awarded two films with Diplomas: the first went to HARVEST TIME, Russia, dir. Marina RAZBEZHKINA; the Jury’s motivation read: “for the artistic interpretation of the heathen character of the totalitarian myth at the interface between a feature and a non-feature film”; and the PERSPECTIVES film NINA, Brazil, dir. Heitor DHALIA, the motivation: “for the visual expressionism and an original paraphrase of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment