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The Golden Unicorn Awards are a set of awards for artistic excellence in film which recognises achievements of Russian cinematography and international film-makers creating Russian-themed films.[1] The awards were established by Filip Perkon in 2016[2] in London, United Kingdom. The ceremony takes places annually, following Russian Film Week.[3][4]
The mission of the Golden Unicorn Awards is to bring contemporary Russian cinematography and modern Russian culture to the attention of a wider international audience. The awards also aim to improve European-Russian cultural exchange, encouraging distribution of Russian films abroad and motivating international filmmakers to produce films about Russia by introducing them to the Russian audience.[5][6]
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Feature-length, animation, short and documentary films should be produced in Russia and released 18 months prior to the start of Russian Film Week. International films do not have to be produced in Russia but have to be Russian-themed. The film producers have to submit the films electronically or in DCP format with English subtitles through the Russian Film Week or the Golden Unicorn Awards FilmFreeway portal no later than November 1 of the relevant year.[6]
The nomination committee review the submissions and select the films for consideration of the jury. The nomination committee is independent from the jury.[1]
The nomination committee in 2018:[7]
- Valeri Jerlitsyn
- Olga Miloshunas
- Anna Shalashina
The independent jury consists of film industry professionals, such as filmmakers, critics, actors, professors, and producers.
The jury in 2018:[8]
- Brian Cox – Actor, known for his appearance in Braveheart, Doctor Who, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Troy, Golden Globe nominated, Scottish BAFTA nominated, winner of Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor
- Olga Kurylenko – Actress, known for her appearance in Paris, le t'aims, Hitman, Quantum of Solace
- Andrew Jack – Moscow correspondent from 1990 and bureau chief at the Financial Times 1998–2004, chairman of Pushkin house 2010–2016
- Stuart Brown – BFI's Head of Programme & Acquisitions
- Nancy Condee – Professor of film at University of Pittsburgh, served as a juror at the Kinotavr Film Festival
- David P. Kelly – Executive film producer, BAFTA voting member, member of the European Film Academy
- Adam Freudenheim – Publisher and Managing Director at Pushkin Press
- Debbie McWilliams – International Casting Director, has cast 13 James Bond films, Angels and Demons, Centurion, the Silent Storm and others. She is a member of the Casting Directors Guild, the Academy of Motion Pictures and a chairperson of the International Casting Directors Network
- Carola Ash – Creative producer, Director of Europe at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The jury in 2017:[9]
- Brian Cox – Actor, known for his appearance in Braveheart, Doctor Who, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Troy, Golden Globe nominated, Scottish BAFTA nominated, winner of Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor
- Andrew Jack – Moscow correspondent from 1990 and bureau chief at the Financial Times 1998–2004, chairman of Pushkin house 2010–2016
- Stuart Brown – BFI's Head of Programme & Acquisitions
- Nancy Condee – Professor of Film at University of Pittsburgh, served as a juror at the Kinotavr Film Festival
- David P. Kelly – Executive film producer, BAFTA voting member, member of the European Film Academy
- Michael Bird – the British Council's Director Russia
- Peter Bradshaw – Writer and chief film critic for The Guardian, contributor to BBC One, Esquire, Radio 4 and the London Review of Books
- Elliot Grove – Film producer, founder of the Raindance Film Festival and the British Independent Film Awards
- Anna MacDonald – Co-founder and principal of the London Film Academy
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The ceremony [10] takes place every year in a form of a charitable gala following the Russian Film Week. The Golden Unicorn Awards collaborated with the Naked Heart Foundation[11] to fundraise GBP 160,000 [12] during the Russian Film Week and the main ceremony in 2018.[13] The awards also raised GBP 85,000 [14] for the Gift of Life Charity [15][3] in 2016.
The symbol of the golden unicorn was chosen as a common notion for the Russian and British nations. The golden unicorn was depicted on the Russian Coat of Arms along with St. George in 16th-century Russia.[16] The golden unicorn is also one of the symbols of Great Britain.[17]
The Golden Unicorn is awarded for the following categories:[18]
- Best Feature Film
- Best Screenplay
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Short Film
- Best Documentary
- Best Animated Film
- Best Foreign Film with a Russian connection
Special awards:
- Best Contribution to Promoting Russian Culture Abroad
- Best Emerging Talent
- General Producer's Award
| Nomination [6] | 2019 [19][20] | 2018[21] | 2017[22] | 2016[23] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film [24] | Van Goghs | How Viktor "the Garlic" Took Alexey "the Stud" Тo The Nursing Home[25] | Loveless (film) | The Student |
| Best Screenplay | The Humorist | How Viktor "the Garlic" Took Alexey "the Stud" Тo The Nursing Home | Loveless (film) | About Love |
| Best Actor | Daniel Olbrychski / Van Goghs | Evgeny Tkachuk / How Viktor "the Garlic" Took Alexey "the Stud" to the Nursing Home | Aleksandr Yatsenko / Arrythmia | Petr Skvortsov / The Student |
| Best Actress | Anna Mikhalkova / Another Woman | Irina Starshenbaum / Summer | Maryana Spivak / Loveless (film) | Renata Litvinova / About Love |
| Best Short Film | White mark | The Sign | The Law of excluded third | 8 dir. Anna Melikyan |
| Best Foreign Documentary Film | Buratino | A Sniper’s War | Oleg and the Rare Arts | Stephen Coates and Paul Heartfield / Roentgenizdat |
| Best Documentary Film | The Case of Sobchak | INTO_Nation of the Great Odessa | Lake Vostok | |
| Best Animated Film | The Snow Queen: Mirrorlands [26] | N/A | Listening to Beеthoven | Sheep and Wolves dir. Maxim Volkov, Andrei Galat |
| Best Foreign Film with a Russian connection | Give Me Liberty | Sergio & Sergei | Lady Macbeth | War and Piece, BBC series dir. Tom Harper |
| Best Emerging Talent | Alena Mikhailova, actress / Love Them All | Timothy Zhalnin, Director / Coupled | Daria Zhovner / Closeness | Semen Treskunov / Good Boy |
| Best Debut | The Humorist | |||
| Best Russian Film on Ecology | Father Baikal [27] |
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