Laurel Prize-2025 nominees
8
movies
Lavr
December 04, 2025
Forty-seven members of the jury of the National “Laurel Branch” Award cast their votes in two categories — Cinema of the Future: Debut and Cinema of the Future: Art. The results were certified by independent auditors.
The top three films in each category are:
Cinema of the Future: Debut
1. The Doors Are Closing, dir. Yana Isaenko
2. Bride, dir. Inna Omelchenko
3. The Black Blizzard, dir. Mira Erkenova
Cinema of the Future: Art
1. Forever Alive, dir. Aleksey Khanyutin
2. Burning Gorky, dir. Aleksey Fedorchenko
3. The Wind Has No Tail, dir. Ivan Vlasov, Nikita Stashkevich
On 12 December, Irina Vasilyeva, a member of the Award Council, opened the envelopes and announced the results of the secret ballot cast by non-fiction film professionals.
The best films of 2025 are:
“The Doors Are Closing” (dir. Yana Isaenko) — winner in the category Cinema of the Future: Debut
“The Wind Has No Tail” (dir. Ivan Vlasov, Nikita Stashkevich) — winner in the category Cinema of the Future: Art
Congratulations to the laureates, and our thanks to all participants!
The top three films in each category are:
Cinema of the Future: Debut
1. The Doors Are Closing, dir. Yana Isaenko
2. Bride, dir. Inna Omelchenko
3. The Black Blizzard, dir. Mira Erkenova
Cinema of the Future: Art
1. Forever Alive, dir. Aleksey Khanyutin
2. Burning Gorky, dir. Aleksey Fedorchenko
3. The Wind Has No Tail, dir. Ivan Vlasov, Nikita Stashkevich
On 12 December, Irina Vasilyeva, a member of the Award Council, opened the envelopes and announced the results of the secret ballot cast by non-fiction film professionals.
The best films of 2025 are:
“The Doors Are Closing” (dir. Yana Isaenko) — winner in the category Cinema of the Future: Debut
“The Wind Has No Tail” (dir. Ivan Vlasov, Nikita Stashkevich) — winner in the category Cinema of the Future: Art
Congratulations to the laureates, and our thanks to all participants!
The Moscow Metro named after Lenin revived a Soviet tradition by forming a choir from its own employees: cashiers, train operators, and station staff. The choir conductor discovers a previously unperformed opera titled "The Flood", which tells the story of the last day before the end of the world. After a successful premiere, the choir embarks on its first tour, becoming participants in the onset of a real apocalypse.
9
France, 2025
65 min
Russian
English
In a house in southern Russia, two sisters, their mother, and their grandmother gather each summer, creating a vibrant, matriarchal world. The father is there too, but he's barely seen. Men in this women's realm are like passing trains.
Amidst endless baby cries, lullabies, fortune-telling, and sauna rituals, the film flows quietly and imperceptibly — from birth to death, creating a portrait of a family whose connection transcends the visible world. Daughters unknowingly follow the paths of their mothers, repeating the cycles of those who came before them. Breaking these deeply ingrained generational patterns seems almost unimaginable.
8
Russia, 2024
62 min
Russian
English
During the Soviet era, over 30,000 monuments to Lenin were erected across the USSR. They were typically placed in locations where Ilyich could “see” the fulfillment of his ideals: factories and plants in operation, workers’ living standards improving, and the successful construction of socialism as a whole. In turn, Lenin’s presence was believed to have a beneficial influence on the surrounding area. Flowerbeds were planted, flags displayed, and blue spruces planted around the monuments. These were, in a sense, “temporary portals” leading to a communist tomorrow. How do these “islands of the future” look today? What does Lenin see now? How do the descendants of the builders of communism perceive him? The film is composed of 10 vignettes, filmed in different corners of Russia.
8
Russia, 2024
95 min
Russian
The film tells the story of the Volga village Krasnovidovo, a place marked by the presence of Empress Catherine II, the great writer Maxim Gorky, and the first cosmonaut in history, Yuri Gagarin.
8
Russia, 2025
29 min
Russian
Nika is one of the youngest daughters in a Yamal nomadic family. Very soon, the administration of the nearest settlement will take her to a boarding school, separating her from her family and native land for a long time. A nomadic teacher is tasked with preparing Nika for this departure.
9
Russia, 2024
60 min
Nenets, Russian
Russian
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