From May 22 to May 30, 2026, the XXXV International Golden Knight Film Forum was held in Sevastopol. This is the 10th time it has been held in Crimea. In the film forum, the motto of which is "For moral ideals. For the Elevation of the Human Soul", films from Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Iran, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova (Transnistria), the USA, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Uzbekistan, Poland, Indonesia, Italy, Taiwan took part.
During the week, residents of Sevastopol and guests of the city could watch a competitive program in cinemas, which included full-length feature films and documentaries, short films, films for children and teenagers, and cartoons. More than 450 applications were submitted for the competition, of which more than 120 paintings in seven nominations were selected by members of the authoritative jury.
The film forum featured paintings that uplift the soul, saturate it with positive, kind energy, and make the viewer think about life and their place in it. The jury consisted of famous cinematographers from 16 countries: Russia, USA, Germany, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and others. The jury was selected for each nomination. The jury, which evaluates films for children and teenagers, includes students from educational institutions.
The film Forum aroused sincere interest in the city. The viewings invariably attracted full houses. The audience could not only enjoy what was happening on the screen, but also chat with the creators of the films.
On May 30 at the theater named after Lunacharsky hosted the closing ceremony of the film forum, which was attended by Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev, winners and participants of the film forum, artists, clergy, residents of Sevastopol and guests of the city. The ceremony was led by Nikolai Burlyaev, President of the Golden Knight International Film Forum, member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, People's Artist of Russia.
The main award of the Golden Knight Festival was awarded to the Russian feature film "Two in One Life, not Counting the Dog" directed by Andrey Zaitsev. The film is about the patience and forgiveness, wisdom and tranquility of two St. Petersburg old intellectuals, husband and wife, who survived the siege of Leningrad as children.
The same film became the winner according to the decision of the jury from the clergy. In addition, the clergy awarded the prize to the feature-length feature film "Miracles in Working Order" directed by Alexei Komashko. This is a story about the spiritual transformation of a once successful MMA fighter who goes through pain and sorrow on the way to God.
The following films also received diplomas of the winners and valuable prizes from the Central and Chersonese Deaneries: in the category "Feature short films", the film "Hello, it's me" (directed by Victoria Belyakova), in the category "Films for children and teenagers", the picture "The Lion and the Boy" (directed by Natalia Lobko), in the category "Documentary feature films films"Nikita" (directed by Nikolai Burlyaev), in the category "Documentary short films" the film "The Feat of Hieromonk Anthony (Smirnov). Life for one's friends" (directed by Vyacheslav Varlagin), in the category "Debut and student films" the picture "I want to see you" (directed by Alexey Alferov), in the category "Animated films" the film "Raspberry Mountains".
The awards were presented to the winners by Archpriest Stefan Slomchinsky. Addressing the audience, Father Stefan noted the high spiritual and moral level of the paintings, emphasizing that the task of cinema is not only to entertain, but also to open up new meanings to the audience, make them reflect on what they have seen, lead to God, and strengthen their faith. Father Stefan thanked the filmmakers for their work, which is so necessary and in demand today, wishing them new ideas and projects.
Then the Golden Knight statuettes were awarded to the winners of the film forum in each nomination. The pauses between the awards were filled with performances by artists and creative teams of the hero city.