The Opening ceremony of the film festival "Golden Phoenix" has become the first event celebrating the 1150th anniversary of Smolensk

VI All-Russian Festival of actors - directors "Golden Phoenix" began with the "star track" in Smolensk. The opening ceremony of this year's festival was held for the first time not in the Star Square in front of the "Sovremennik" cinema, which is the traditional venue of the main events of the "Golden Phoenix ", but in the Smolensk Drama Theatre named after A.S. Griboyedov.

Welcoming the distinguished guests of the festival, Fist deputy Governor Mikhail Pitkevich said that "Golden Phoenix" actually opens the anniversary month dedicated to the celebration of the 1150th anniversary of Smolensk. "We are well prepared for it – we have repaired hundreds of buildings, built new facilities - and now are looking forward to great celebrations", - said the first deputy Governor.

The Opening Ceremony of the Festival began with the special guests, participants of the competition and cultural program of the Film Festival walking along the red carpet: People's Artists of Russia: Vsevolod Shilovsky , Valentine Gaft, Alexander Pankratov-Cherny, Boris Shcherbakov, Vera Glagoleva , Alexey Buldakov, Levon Oganezov, Lev Prygunov, Honored Artist of Russia: the singer Lyudmila Bodrova, actresses Aglaia Shilovskaya and Olga Khokhlova, actors Alexandr Loye, Oleg Shtefanko, Andrey Ankudinov, Yaroslav Zhalnin, director Alexei Simonov, writer Arkady Inin , Director of the Guild of Russian Directors Igor Stepanov and other stars.

The Opening Ceremony itself was held in the full house of the Smolensk Regional Drama Theatre.

Smolensk people saw a two-minute video about the movie "Two Women ", which is currently being filmed in the former estate of Mikhail Glinka in the village of Novospasskoe by Vera Glagoleva. The director said that she would try to bring the finished film based on the play by Ivan Turgenev to the film festival in 2014.

After the opening ceremony the audience could see the first competing film - "Gagarin. The First in Space" in the cinema "Sovremennik". The picture was presented by the lead actor Yaroslav Zhalnin and producer Dmitry Murin. The competition program of the festival includes all in all 17 feature films and 4 documentary films created by filmmakers of different professions who tried their hand as creative directors. As part of the informational program of "Golden Phoenix" the feature films "Apofegey" directed by Stanislav Mitin and "Spaniard" directed by Alexander Tsatsuev will be shown for the first time.

It was the initiative of the Administration of Smolensk region to add this year the prize named after the writer and screenwriter Boris Vasiliev to the traditional prizes bearing the names of famous Smolensk people Alexander Tvardovsky , Maria Tenisheva, Yuri Gagarin and Sergey Konenkov, Yuri Nikulin, Anatoly Papanov and Mikhail Glinka.

Tomorrow, August, 27, besides the competition program of the "Golden Phoenix" Smolensk people will be able to enjoy the celebrations of the Day of Russian cinema. On this day in the Lopatinsky Sad at 20.00 there will be a gala performance of well-known actors. Also in honor of the famous film celebrities new stars will be laid on the "Walk of Fame" in front of the movie theatre "Sovremennik".

We remind you that admission to all shows and performances are free. Invitations can be obtained the day before the event at the box-offices of the film festival venues: the cinema "Sovremennik" and the cinema “Russia-Primer".