Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF) is one of the oldest film festivals of the world which has been leading its history since 1935, when Sergey Eisenstein was the chairman of the jury and the film Chapaev (1934) by Georgi Vasilyev opened the festival. MIFF is the second film festival in the history of cinema after the Venice Film Festival (1932). In subsequent years the festival was not held regularly, and therefore, MIFF has officially counted down since 1959, when it was renewed and turned into a regular event in every odd year alternating with the Karlovy Vary. In 1999 it became an annual event.
The 47th edition of MIFF was held from 17th to 24th April 2025 at the iconic Rossiya Theatre at the centre of the business district of Moscow showcasing more than 200 films in different sections, and thus the festival celebrated the spirit of global cinema by welcoming films and filmmakers from 50 countries from all over the world in a grand week-long cinematic event. Nikita Mikhalkov, the eminent Russian filmmaker, was the president of MIFF this year. His Name Was Not Listed (2025) directed by Sergey Korotaev, based on a novel by Boris Vasilyev was the opening film this year, while What We Wanted to Be (2024) an Argentine romantic drama directed by Alejandro Agresti was the closing film. Spanish film director and producer Lluís Miñarro was the president of the main jury with the Egyptian film actress Bushra, Romanian film director Cornel Gheorghiță, Russian film director Aleksey German Jr, American film actor John Robinson and Russian film actress Maryana Spivak as his colleagues.
The NETPAC Jury was composed of Premendra Mazumder, film critic, author and festival organizer from India as the president, Andronika Martonova, film scholar from Bulgaria and Sardana Savvina, film producer from the Republic of Sakha under Russian Federation as the members of the jury. NETPAC Jury watched 14 films from Asia and Pacific regions including 1. Wisdom of The Whale (Turkey, 2024, 105 min) by Önder Şengül, 2. The Planet (Russia, 2024, 111 min) by Mikhail Arkhipov, 3. Starfall (China, 2024, 1087 min) by Zhang Dalei, 4. For Rana (Iran, 2024, 84 min) by Iman Yazdi, 5. Evacuation (Kazakhstan, 2025, 83 mins) by Farkhat Sharipov, 6. Impermanent Residents (Vietnam, 2024, 106 min) by Huu-Tuan Nguyen, 7. Beyond The Mast (Bangladesh, The Netherlands, Germany, 2025, 93 min) by Mohammad Nuruzzaman, 8. The Bread Season (USA, Turkey, 2024, 92 min) by Anvar Hassanpour, Emeer Hassanpour, 9. This Place (Philippines, Japan 2024, 85 min) by Jaime Pacenall, 10. The Elysian Field (India, 2025, 123 min) by Pradip Kurbah, 11. Two People in One Life And A Dog (Russia, 2025, 109 min) by Andrey Zaitsev, 12. When We Bloom Again (Republic of Korea, 2024, 91 min) by Shin Kyoung Soo, 13. Family Happiness (Russia, 2025, 82 min) by Stacy Tolstaya, and 14. Village Music (China, 2024, 96 min) by Lina Wang.
Indian filmmaker Pradip Kurbah created history in MIFF this year by winning three major prestigious awards – NETPAC Award for the Best Asian Film, Best Director Award, and Best Film Award in the international competition for his film The Elysian Field (Ha Lyngkha Bneng, India, Khasi, 2025, 123 mins). While giving the NETPAC Award, the jury president said, “It is a cinematic gem which takes us to a beyondness through a brilliant philosophical journey enriched with humour and satire on love, life and death with astounding poetic visuals where nature acts as a stimulant keeping us engrossed from beginning to end.” In the NETPAC citation it was said that, “The award is given for the philosophical expression of life and death through a brilliant poetic and visual language enriched with satire and humour”. Grand Jury member Cornel Gheorghita, while giving the Silver Saint Goerge for the Best Director said, “This is a very important film, which took me to a new level in world cinema when Sokurov, Kurosawa and Beckett come together. And this film stands out from all what we saw at the competition.” Another member of the Grand Jury Aleksey German Jr. said, “This is an incredibly bold film by a courageous, smart, subtle and perfectly humane director who did exactly what one should not do to win at a festival – he removed all powerful narratives and themes and took people’s feelings and emotions instead.” While awarding the Golden Saint George for the Best Film the president of the main jury Lluis Miñarro said, “The title of the film The Elysian Field can be interpreted as a place where superior souls meet.” There were 13 films from 13 countries in the main competition.
The Indian Embassy in Moscow congratulated Pradip Kurbah on social media saying that “This remarkable triple win represents an unprecedented achievement for an Indian regional-language film at a major international festival.” The Elysian Field is a futuristic film set in 2047 when India celebrates the centenary of independence in a village in the Khasi hills where only six characters – Complete, Livingstone, Maia, Friday, Miss Helen, and Promise live. Six souls, each bound by shared grief and unwavering companionship. Livingstone, still devoted to his late wife Belinda, takes a poignant bus journey that symbolizes both loss and renewed purpose. Through moments of nostalgia and collective hope, the villagers confront an uncertain future, proving that in the face of life’s relentless changes, human connection and resilience remain steadfast pillars of survival.
The Silver Saint George Special Jury Prize was awarded to Evacuation (Kazakhstan) directed by Farkhat Sharipov, while Bumblebee (Spain) directed by Fon Cortizo received the Silver Saint George for the Best Short Film. Ms. Hu’s Garden (China) also won the Silver Saint George for Best Documentary. The film directed by Pan Zhiqi, focusing on the life of Ms. Hu, a woman living in a slum area of Chongqing, China, and her unique garden built from discarded items. Yevgeny Tsyganov was recognized as Best Actor for Family Happiness (Russia) directed by Anastasiya Venkova, based on a novel by Leo Tolstoy. Maria Rodríguez Soto won Best Actress for A House on Fire (Spain) a comedy drama film directed by Dani de la Orden. The Audience Award went to Two People in One Life and a Dog (Russia) directed by Andrei Zaitsev.
Written by Premendra Mazumder.
PREMENDRA NATH MAZUMDER is a film critic, author, and organizer. He writes extensively on cinema. He is the Vice President of the Federation of Film Societies of India, General Secretary of the India Chapter of the International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI, and Editor of the quarterly film journal E-CineIndia (ISSN:2582-2500). He works for many national and international film festivals in India and abroad as the chairman, program director, curator, festival coordinator and consultant. He has served the jury in more than forty important international film festivals worldwide. He is the founder of the South Asian Short Film Festival, and World Film Festival Kolkata. He has been honoured with Ritwik Ghatak Award (Rajshahi, Bangladesh, 2016), Satyajit Ray Memorial Award (Asian Film Foundation Mumbai, India, 2018) and Vijaya Mulay Lifetime Achievement Award (Kerala, India, 2023) for his contribution to cinema on various capacities.