The winners of the International Student Film Festival PeterKiT-2016 were announced

PeterKiT became the first major festival platform for the majority of the participants - students and graduates of the University of Film and Television. The members of the jury, the university officials, leading tutors, as well as masters of film and television industry came to the closing ceremony of the festival   to say them parting words. For someone summing-up was the hour of triumph and the recognition of merit, for others - a stimulus for creative and professional development

In the Year of the Russian cinema to the festival absorbed an increased public attention. This year it was submitted more than 250 applications for participation in the festival, for the main competition were selected 88 films, including 76 Russian, three films created in the framework of the program of international student exchange, as well as 12 international works from Slovakia, Georgia, Israel, Great Britain, Belgium, Lebanon, Slovenia, the Czech Republic participated in international competition.

The prizes and diplomas were awarded in the following categories:

Grand Prix -  "The Lake", director and cameraman Daria Blokhina, the class of A. Chirov and V. Vasiliev,

Best documentary - "The Cage" by Daria Markevich, the class of A. Rudnytskaya and S. Vinokurov,

Best animated film - "Fitzgerald and birthday» Maria Lebedeva, the class of A. Kalchenko,

Best cinematography - "The Lake", Daria Blokhina, the class of A. Chirov and V. Vasiliev),

Best sound design - "A Christmas Story", Daniil Kryukov, the class of A. Hasan-Zadeh and E. Sladkovskaya,

Best foreign film - "Exodus", director and writer Vakhtang Dzhadzhanidze, Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia,

The prize for the Best Debut of the Name of the Founder of the Festival Viktor Semenyuk - animation film «Recharge», Irina Budylgina, the class of A. Kalchenko,

The special prize "White Sun" of the Name of Eduard Rozovsky (awarded by the Department of Cinematography) - Eugeny Trush, "Remember the May," the class of S. Lando,

Best screenplay - the screenplay by Alexander Jakubowski "Don`t look," the class of N. Skorokhod.

The owner of the Grand Prix of the festival "PeterKiT-2016" Daria Blokhia shared by her impressions of the victory:

- I did not expect to be able to score a success in several nominations. The faithfulness, love to  my work and honesty to myself are helped me. It is necessary to do everything frankly and don`t think about what will happen next. Only the inner desire can lead to a good result.

The workshops of  the leading masters of cinema industry were held in the framework of the festival – of the documentary filmmaker Sergey Miroshnichenko, composer, producer, head of the company Proline Film Andrey Sigle; an outstanding cinematographer Sergey Astakhov; editor in chief of the production company "Sreda" Olga Shentorovich; composer Anton Tanonov;  producer and director Lika Alekseeva ; director and screenwriter Alla Damsker.

The chairman of the jury of the XVIth edition of the festival "PeterKiT" became a film director Yury Mamin. He worked together with Andrey Sigle, Sergey Astakhov, Alyena Sycheva, Natalia Avanesova, Erlan Akchalov (Kazakhstan). The screenplay jury was headed by a writer and poet Dmitry Bykov. Student of Film Jury was headed by a graduate student of the Faculty of Screen Arts Denis Khriukin.

- The Festival PeterKiT was born 15 years ago. During these years, it has been rising from the local festival of the Faculty of Screen Arts to the big International Festival. The opening of the festival is announced by congratulations from the chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko, the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, and the governor of the city of Georgy Poltavchenko. Today, the festival is a large-scale cultural event in our wonderful city.

Yury Mamin, the chairman of the jury , told about what the jury has seen its mission at the festival

The festival PeterKiT is the only place where young filmmakers can make themselves known. This is a competition for them as a sport contest for the athletes, the place, where they can display their talent. Our challenge as members of the jury is to help them, to give them a springboard and support. This way we help them and the whole cinema. Now we need renewal. Besides of youth and daring there is an experience is also important in the film art. This compound is very rare. Experience can be gained later.

According to Sergey Miroshnichenko, a documentary filmmaker, the festival "PeterKiT" has great importance for young filmmakers:

- Every young director, operator, screenwriter has an Ego. If not, he will not be a master. And this manifestation of the ego on the screen is a necessary part of the profession. After all, the artist must show himself. And then your friends and your aesthetic enemies gather together, and you want to prove your Self. You check and develop yourself at the festival. Then you see your own errors more clearly and perfect your skills in the subsequent work. At these festivals you see the audience first time. You realize, that you make audio-visual arts not only for the class, for TV, and also for the screen. And you see how the audience reacts. Does it breathe, or not, does it smile or laugh - this is very important. And this is especially important for the documentary filmmakers. They then rarely have such audience like this.

Chairman of the screenplay jury Dmitry Bykov shared his impressions from reading the works of students and graduates of SPSUFT:

- There are the screenplays, where is something alive, where a perfect atmosphere has created. For example, closure, , fear, escheat entertainment ... There are those, where a spirit of the time has caught. In my opinion, the best screenplay of the competition is absolutely "wrong" product. But it has a character, a real character, existing contrary to entropy. I see the hero of our time. Secondly, he is occupied with something. And thirdly, there is sex – normal and interesting. Love even there. All are in love. And well written, all characters speak a living language ... After all, the movie has a hypnotic effect. It organizes the space around itself. Guys! In your place, I couldn`t write anything more exciting. Good luck!

Cameraman Sergey Astakhov was pleasantly surprised by the quality of work of the students and graduates of the University of Film and Television:

- The works presented at the competition are very good standard works. I didn`t expect this. Yes, not all will be able to win, of course, but the benefits from participating in the festival will definitely be received. At these festivals the students can see the work of other guys and analyze their level. The students should absorb the most primitive, basic knowledge maximally at the University. Then production will ask its mysteries, but they can be solved only with a certain baggage of basic technical knowledge, so the learning process should be taken very seriously.

Composer Andrey Sigle gave an advice to make films on social subject area:

- You're young - is your country. Politicians constantly make mistakes, and we have to hold them back. Culture - this is the only language that is understood by everyone in the world. It allows people to communicate and let us be respectable men. It is our task - to do everything in order to avoid irreparable things.

In addition to the film screenings the main competition program, there are also non-competitive programs were presented at the festival : All-Russian State University of Cinematography named after Sergey Gerasimov, Advanced Directing Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors, the international programs of foreign film schools, including program "CILECT Prize - 2016" - the best films, participating at annual contest of international film schools. Youth Center of the Union of Cinematographers of Moscow and St. Petersburg held the round table, and pitching of film projects were also organized  in the framework of the festival.

The international partners of the University, such as the company Panasonic Russia, the Sony Group, also awarded the winners and invited the talented students to implement the joint video projects.

The festival PeterKiT" was held with the support of the St. Petersburg Committee on Youth Policy and in Interaction with NGOs of St.Petersburg. We sincerely thank to all sponsors and information partners of the festival.

We congratulate all the winners of the festival Peterkit-2016 and wish all the participants further success!