The First Student Short Film Festival “PROba” Announced Its Winners
October 31, 2025
On October 30, the award ceremony for the winners of the First International Student Short Film Festival “PROba” took place at the Meridian Cultural Center in Moscow. The festival was organized by the College of Information and Creative Technologies IThub and the Meridian Cultural Center.
“PROba” is a film festival for those taking their first steps in the film profession. The theme of the festival is family values, youth activity, and creative self-expression. Its mission is to support and develop young filmmakers—students and graduates of film colleges and universities. This year, participants represented 12 cities and 43 educational institutions.
A week of film screenings, master classes, and meetings with industry professionals concluded with the award ceremony. Over 150 films from Russia and neighboring countries were submitted to the festival competition. Winners were determined by audience voting in three categories.
The festival’s best films were: “What Blooms Without a Flower” directed by Olga Knyazkova (GITR) and “Pirozhki Are Non-Returnable” directed by Georgy Egorychev (IThub College).
Prizes for Best Direction were awarded to “Date” directed by Sofya Babiy (GITR) and “Cunning” directed by Adelina Gizatullina (Moscow Film School).
Alexander Moskalev, Director of the Moscow State Cultural Institution “Meridian Cultural Center,” shared his impressions of the audience’s reaction:
“The Meridian Cultural Center is a meeting place for all generations of the city. Over many years, it has gathered a unique audience. Muscovites respond with great interest to such events, as the festival’s leitmotif—intergenerational connection and family values—finds a lively resonance.”
Maxim Bure, Deputy Chairman of the Education Commission of the Moscow Public Chamber, answering a question about state support for student filmmaking, stated that under initiatives implemented by the Government of the Russian Federation, an additional 2.6 billion rubles per year from the federal budget will be allocated to support film production from 2025 to 2030.
In addition, numerous grant programs, such as the Moscow Mayor’s Grants, the Presidential Grants Fund, and programs from the Internet Development Institute, will continue to provide substantial funding for student film production.