Documentary programs of the 37th Moscow International Film Festival

Documentary competition and out-of-competition program "Free Thought", which includes most awarded films, has long become one of the most visited at the Moscow International Film Festival. This year curators of the program - director and laureate of the State Award Sergey Miroshnichenko and producer Grigory Libergal - will present the most interesting documentaries in the world again.

Competition documentary program on the MIFF will be held for the fifth time. Films, which had participated in the competition in previous years, later became winners of Academy Award, BAFTA Award ("Searching for Sugar Man") and were successfully distributed both worldwide and in Russia.

Documentary competition program:

Cartel Land // Земля Картелей, Mexico, USA, dir. Matthew Heineman, 98 min, 2015

The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson // Экстаз Вилко Джонсона, UK, dir. Julien Temple, 91 min, 2015

Racing Extinction // Гонка на вымирание, USA, dir. Louie Psihoyos, 94 min, 2015

The Visit // Пришествие, AUSTRIA, DENMARK, dir. Michael Madsen, 83 min, 2015

A Young Patriot // Юный патриот, China, France, dir. Haibin Du, 106 min, 2015

The Nightmare // Ночной кошмар, USA, dir. Rodney Ascher, 90 min, 2015

Russia is presented in the competition with film «Larisa’s Crew» (Ларисина артель, dir. Helena Lascari, producer Alexey Khanyutin, 65 min., 2015).

This year the jury panel consists of Harutyun Khachatryan (director of the Yerevan International Film Festival "Golden Apricot") and the Russian documentary filmmaker Aleksei Vakhrushev. The Chairman of the Jury panel - Philippa Kowarsky - head of distribution company Cinephil (Israel).

Documentary program "Free Thought" was created in 2006 and represents the winners of the most prestigious awards and film festivals around the world, as well as a panorama of different genres, geographic and most crucial and urgent issues. During all this time there have been shown more than 150 films, among which 6 winners of the Academy Award, more than 60 winners of the Sundance Film Festival, more than 10 winners of one of the most prestigious festival of documentary films IDFA in Amsterdam, as well as documentaries that were shown in Cannes, Venice, Locarno, Karlovy Vary, Leipzig, Toronto and many others. More than 70% of films had more than one prize or award. Analysis of the Audience Award, that was introduced in 2008, shows that more than 40% of the films have a rating of 4.5 out of 5, more than 90% - higher than 4. This shows the great success of the films and the constant interest of the audience that increases each year.

The "Free Thought" consists of 12 documentaries:

Citizenfour. Правда Сноудена, USA, Germany, dir. Laura Poitras, 114 min, 2014. ACADEMY AWARD® Winner, BAFTA Award for the Best Documentary, DGA –Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary

The Look of Silence // Взгляд тишины, Denmark, Finland, Indonesia, Norway, United Kingdom, dir. Joshua Oppenheimer, 103 min, 2014. 71st Venice Film Festival – GRAND JURY PRIZE, The Int'l Film Critics Prize (FIPRESCI), European Critics Prize (FEDEORA), Online Critics Prize (Golden Mouse), Human Rights Nights Prize, Berlinale 2015: Peace Film Prize winner, CPH DOX - DOX:AWARD

Of Men and War // О мужчинах и войне, France, Switzerland, USA, dir. Laurent Bécue-Renard, 142 min, 2014. IDFA Award for Best Feature Length Documentary, European Film Awards – Nomination, Best Documentary

El botón de nácar // Перламутровая пуговица, Chile, France, dir. Patricio Guzmán, 82 min, 2015. BERLINALE - Silver Bear for best screenplay, Ecumenical Jury Prize

The Chinese Mayor // Китайский мэр, China, dir. Hao Zhou, 89 min, 2015. Sundance Film Festival - Special Jury Prize RiverRun International Film Festival – Jury Prize

Une Jeunesse Allemande // Молодежь Германии //A German Youth, France, Switzerland, Germany, dir. Jean-Gabriel Périot, 93 min, 2015. Cinema du Reel - The Scam International Award, DocAviv - Special Jury Mention, Visions du Reel - Prix du Jury, Berlinale - Panorama Dokumente

Toto and his sisters // Тото и его сестры, Romania, dir. Alexander Nanau, 94 min, 2014. DOK Leipzig - Honorary Mention Long Metrage, Prize of the Trade Union ver.di, The Ecumenical Jury awards. Festival dei Popoli - PREMIO MYMOVIES DALLA PARTE DEL PUBBLICO - AUDIENCE AWARD, Best International Documentary, Zurich Film Festival, Best Documentary, Warsaw Film Festival, Grand Prix, Premiers Plans Festival, France, Grand Prix – Premiers Plans Festival

My Love Don’t Cross That River // Дорогая, не пересекай эту реку, South Korea, dir. Mo-Young Jin, 86 min, 2014. 6th KOFRA Film Awards – Best Independent Film, DMZ International Documentary Film Festival – Audience Award, #1 Box Office Leader in Documentary in South Korea

Dreamcatcher // В погоне за мечтой, UK, dir. Kim Longinotto, 104 min, 2015. Sundance Film Festival - Directing Award World Documentary

Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief // Просветление: сайентология и причуды веры, USA, dir. Alex Gibney, 119 min, 2015

Dominguinhos // Домингиньос, Brasil, dir. Joaquim Castro, Mariana Aydar, Eduardo Nazarian, 86 min, 2014

Je suis le people // Я – народ // I am the people, France, Egypt, dir. Anna Roussillon, 110 min, 2014. Hong Kong International Film Festival – Golden Firebird Award, Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival – Best Documentary Debut or Second Film, Best World Documentary

Sergey Miroshnichenko, curator of the program:

"The interest in documentary films in Russia has appeared recently and we would like to hope that our team has put our efforts to this. For the sixth year we have a talk show “Watching… Discussing…” on the broadcasting channel “Culture”. Today in Russia there are cinema and TV-channel, which shows exclusively documentaries. The program is respected and has good reputation on the international market. This is evidenced by the growing interest of foreign distributors to make the premiere of its film at the Moscow International Film Festival. And we are pleased that also many Russian distributors are interested in the premiere here. I hope there will be more films!"

Traditionally films will be shown in hall №2 of the multiplex "October"; reruns - in the center of the documentary films that for the third year provides the platform not only for films, but also for meetings with the filmmakers of competition program, the jury and guests of the festival. In addition, on June 28 in the Documentary Film Center winners of the Audience Award and the documentary competition will be presented.

Official media partner of documentary programs is «24_DOC» TV-Channel.

Schedule and complete description of the film is available online www.moscowfilmfestival.ru

For any questions, please contact the press service of the festival: pressa@artefact.ru, as well as the coordinator of documentary programs of the 37th Moscow International Film Festival Georgy Molodtsov

doc@moscowfilmfestival.ru

+79262869828