‘Sincere Creativity, Creativity for Everyone Is True Art Indeed’

On April 25, 2024 the first graduates of the HSE Film Institute Master’s Programme ‘Film Production’ made their presentations at Gorky Film Studio. The academic supervisor of the programme, Polina Ilyina, proposed a speed dating format for the event. This allowed each student to present their script ideas to significant figures in the film industry, which will form the basis of future projects.

Before the presentation, Alexander Akopov, Director of the HSE Film Institute, expressed his idea of ​​creating this Institute and its divisions. ‘For many years, we and the Association of Film and Television Producers have been looking for an alternative to classical film education at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). In the end, thanks to HSE University and Andrey Bystritskiy, Dean of the HSE Faculty of Creative Industries, we brought this idea to life together with the Faculty,’ said Alexander Akopov. He also talked about how the students were trained and what results they achieved.

Initially, the Film Institute started with a programme of training teachers. ‘It is still working because the Institute is expanding, and every year we attract new specialists,' added Akopov.

The Film Institute was opened in 2021 as part of the HSE Faculty of Creative Industries as a challenge to create a completely new programme for training film producers and actors, explained Maria Sozinova, Deputy Director of the Institute. ‘The leading producers of our domestic market, the top managers of film platforms and TV channels supported this idea,’ she emphasised.

Dean of the HSE Faculty of Creative Industries, Andrey Bystritskiy, is pleased that the Faculty and HSE University opened a new direction related to cinematography. ‘Our first graduates are brilliant not because they are the first, but because they study consciously. Most of them already have experience in filmmaking and producing. I believe that they and all of us will succeed in doing what many have failed to do before, namely, participate in the process of transforming culture in our challenging but interesting times,’ believes the Dean.

Andrey Bystritskiy also noted that films should be made with an audience of 8 billion people in mind, as the only true art is that which can be considered art for everyone. ‘Art that boils down to boasting to friends, deceiving a certain number of supposedly appreciative personalities, certainly has the right to exist. But what is done for everyone, what is done sincerely, that is true art indeed,’ said Andrey Bystritskiy.

During the speed dating, graduates presented their ideas for feature-length films, series, and animated films. Filmmakers evaluated each participant and noted candidates to consider for further cooperation. This format of communication will allow newcomers to the film industry to find potential employers and make necessary business contacts.

The practice-oriented approach to education, adopted throughout HSE University, is also applied at the Film Institute. The department closely collaborates with Kinopoisk Company, Plus Studio production centre, the Association of Film and Television Producers, as well as Gorky Film Studio, where all the shooting workshops for students take place. ‘Gorky Film Studio is very pleased that we had the opportunity to participate in such a unique educational path. We are a part of the moment when completely new and interesting people are being trained. They will shape the future of the Russian film industry,’ concluded Yulia Davydova, Deputy General Director of the film studio.