Content heroes as architects of the future: winners of the "Heroes of a Great Country" award to be announced at the National Centre RUSSIA

---

On 11–12 February, the National Centre RUSSIA will host the forum and awards ceremony for the winners of the National Film Award "Heroes of a Great Country". The space will become a venue for a dialogue about the most important matter — the heroes of our time who come from the screen. Experts from the content industry, representatives of authorities, business, and creative youth will discuss how the image of the modern hero is formed through stories in series and films, what values content creators base their stories on, and how cinema influences social processes and the individual viewer. 

At the heart of the forum's discussions are: the essence of content; the image of the hero; meanings, evaluation criteria and methodologies, as well as requirements for children's and family content; specifics of projects telling about science and military heroes; the value matrix; and images of heroes of the year 2030, or looking 30 years ahead — up to 2056. What a hero in children's and family cinema should be like; when and why should filmmakers make films about war; why young people choose some characters and ignore others; how to create "beloved heroes" and "Russian cinematic universes"; how to have a dialogue with young viewers about values without being didactic or clichéd — experts will talk about all of this. 

11 February: heroes in children's stories, military projects, youth psychology, and "Cinematic Universes 2030" 

The forum will open with a discussion of recommendations for producers of children's and family content: how to evaluate the effects of a series, film, or animation project already at the script stage, and why a hero becomes a behavioral model for viewers of different ages, especially the young audience. 

This will be followed by a major discussion, "The War Was Tomorrow. When to Make Films About Heroes?". Its attendees will explore how to speak interestingly and accurately with viewers about the military valor and heroic deeds of those who defend the Motherland and exemplify service, dignity, and honour. 

A separate segment of the forum is the closed-door meaning centres. The first, "Heroes and Cinematic Universes 2030", will take place on 11 February. Representatives of the content industry and educators from creative faculties and universities, using special methodologies in the format of intellectual laboratories, will develop solutions aimed at increasing the number of stories featuring strong heroes and a traditional value "framework". Prior to the start of the meaning centre, a cross-sectoral council will bring together representatives from various agencies to discuss how they can become qualified commissioners of meanings and provide moderation and support for projects. Representatives from Russian film schools, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defence of Russia, the Investigative Committee, the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs of Russia (FADN), the Russian society Znanie, the Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation "Creative Economy", and other agencies will participate in the Council. 

Throughout the day, there will be a conversation about the heroes of youth. Viewers aged 14+ live at their own pace and logic; and most importantly, their worldview has been significantly shaped over the past 15-20 years by Western series and films. Experts will discuss what characters with what personal mindsets can "live" in film content for young people today; how to create such characters and maintain youth interest without falling into the trap of moralizing; and how to integrate in the projects traditional values and life scenarios that will be beneficial for the young people themselves and relevant for the country. 

To conclude the day, participants will be able to enjoy two events. The foresight session "Value Matrix of the Cinema Hero 2030" is dedicated to the "value matrix of the world" based on the Russian cultural code, and to designing and evaluating the social effects created by authors of film projects. During the open discussion "Meanings in Cinema. A Dialogue with Bloggers" with very famous and popular bloggers, a serious conversation will take place about how the race for viewer emotions nullifies any value messages from authors; how bloggers themselves become "objects" for the large content industry; and whether it is possible to bring back to the dialogue with youth the depth and value meaning without losing a live connection with one's audience, whether in blogging or cinema. 

12 February: science as a lifestyle, the "Big Cinematic World" of the planet, and heroes and values of the future – a look into 30 years from today 

The second day will begin with a conversation about heroes of science and technology in Russian film content. The entrants will discuss why "scientific" cinema often doesn't work as authors intend: it fails to provide an accurate image of a scientist or engineer-designer, and doesn't present the science and technology sphere as an open and attractive opportunity to realise one's talents. An answer is needed today: what image of a scientist is close to the viewer, and how should producers act so that their series and films resonate and spark interest. 

The discussion titled "A Universal Hero: Seeking for Keys to the Big World" will be dedicated to how to create characters and stories in demand by an international audience, and how content can promote our values, meanings, cultural code, and technologies. 

The meaning centre titled "Values in Cinema and Content" will become a platform for developing recommendations on integrating 17 traditional values into dramaturgy and visuals through hero images, conflicts, and plots. It will be conducted by an experienced team of social engineers, featuring the academic advisor from the "DNA of Russia" project (RANEPA), and the authors of recommendations for children's and family content. 

The final point of the discussions will be the plenary session "The Cinema Heroes as Architects of the Future. The Country and the World 30 Years Later". There, experts will discuss how the heroes of Russian content created today can influence the worldview of the "inhabitants" of the future, why confident development of the country today is impossible without an image of the future that is presented and approved within society, and how in this context producers and viewers coexist. Representatives from the two meaning centres will present interim reports on their work to the session attendees. 

To conclude the forum, participants and guests of the event will attend the official ceremony of the National Film Award "Heroes of a Great Country". The names of the winners in 20 categories will be announced, who will be awarded "Golden Stars", a "Golden Gauntlet" (in the "Working Person" category), and the main award of the film prize — the "Grand Golden Star". 

The winners will be selected taking into account an assessment of the Shortlisted projects' influence on the youth audience – based on viewings by a youth jury. The winners will be determined by a large Jury, which includes representatives from the content industry, online platforms, public organisations, and film and media education agencies. The Chairman of the Jury is Artyom Zhoga, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Ural Federal District. The list of experts constituting the jury will be presented at the Film Award venue on 12 February.