Rector Ekaterina Sazonova at SPIEF 2025: Shaping the Future of Russia’s Film and Animation Industries

Ekaterina Sazonova, Rector of the Saint Petersburg State University of Film and Television (SPUFT), took part in a key panel discussion at the 2025 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), titled Talent Ecosystem: A New HR Architecture for the Film Industry of Tomorrow.

Organized by the Association of Film and Television Producers (APKIT), the session brought together top industry leaders to tackle one of the sector’s most pressing challenges: the shortage of qualified professionals in film and animation.

Panelists agreed that these creative industries are among the fastest-evolving segments of the modern economy. However, a critical talent gap threatens to slow this momentum. Among the main obstacles discussed were a lack of awareness around career opportunities in film and animation, insufficient access to specialized training, and a disconnect between educational programs and actual industry needs.

Ekaterina Sazonova highlighted SPUFT’s proactive approach to bridging this gap. For the past five years, the university has been running regional training programs focused on essential behind-the-scenes roles in film production. Nearly 500 professionals have graduated from these programs across 14 regions of Russia, in 16 specialized disciplines. The graduates’ database is now available through the Russian Youth Union of Cinematographers, providing industry access to this new talent pool.

Sazonova also shared news about an ambitious new project: the development of Russia’s first comprehensive textbook on filmmaking.

What sets the textbook apart is its fusion of academic theory with real-world expertise. The project unites faculty from SPUFT, APKIT, the HSE University School of Cinema, and the Studio 24 film school, along with working professionals from the field.

The book will cover the entire spectrum of film production: from cinema history and the business of film to creative, technical, and artistic processes, legal and financial frameworks, crew management, soundtracks, post-production workflows, and more. The first draft is expected by August 2025.

The session also showcased a range of new initiatives designed to strengthen the talent pipeline, including Kinoprofi, a dedicated recruitment platform for the film industry, and Overheard in the Film Industry, an industry-wide knowledge-sharing project.

Ekaterina Sazonova’s participation in SPIEF 2025 reflects the growing recognition that solving the film industry’s talent shortage requires close cooperation between education providers, production companies, and government stakeholders. Only such a comprehensive, collaborative effort can ensure that Russia’s film and animation industries reach their full potential in the years to come.