Filmmakers from different countries presented their work at the International Film Project Pitching at the National Centre RUSSIA

What would happen to the world if we entrusted everything to AI, digitised insects' brains and entertained the idea that animals might be intelligent? The winning films from the "Film as a Tool for Combating Future Shock" pitching session will explore these questions. The event, part of the III International Symposium "Inventing the Future", brought together Russian and international creators. With support from ROSKINO, the contest received 17 submissions from seven countries, and two projects from Iran and Nepal reached the final. The pitching session was held on 12 November at the National Centre RUSSIA. It was co-organised by ANO "Internet Development Institute", ROSKINO JSC, ANO "New Media Workshop" and the VK Video platform.

Rajkumar Lamichhane, a writer and director from Nepal, presented the feature film "Gadi. The Sacred Throne", about a 16-year-old girl who challenges society's established beliefs. Russian filmmakers Mikhail Dobrykh and Sergei Burtsev presented the comedy-drama "The Bureau of Real People", set in a world where you have to pay to talk to a real person rather than a robot. Alexei Yurgaitis and Konstantin Ivanov presented "Cyberfly", a mockumentary about a digitised fly brain that gets out of control. Artyom Terekhov presented the animated project "Buba Psyshchin. A Dog's Case", about a world of intelligent animals. Other projects were also presented.

The jury awarded first place to "The Bureau of Real People". The animated project "Buba Psyshchin. A Dog's Case" came second. "Cyberfly" took third place.

The jury included Elsa Antonova, Director General of ROSKINO, and representatives of the Gorky Film Studio, Moskino, VK Video, RUTUBE and PREMIER, the streaming services Ivi, Wink and Okko, the "Moviestart" production centre and the HSE University Institute of Cinema. Science fiction writer Sergei Lukyanenko also served on the jury. The pitching session was hosted by Andrei Apostolov, a film scholar and Programme Director of the "Gorky Fest" and "Window to Europe" festivals.

 Alexei Goreslavsky, Chair of the jury and Director General of ANO "Internet Development Institute", thanked the participants for their professional pitches and said he was personally drawn to stories about real people.

"We have one motto — real people and their relationships matter most. All our fears fade when we talk to each other face to face. I hope the pitching session becomes a tradition. What matters most is that these projects have a future," said Alexei Goreslavsky.

Sergei Lukyanenko, a science fiction writer, screenwriter and board member of the Union of Writers of Russia, shared his views on speculative fiction and the role people play in it. "Speculative fiction doesn't have to involve neural networks, robots or journeys between worlds. Those things are just the backdrop. Speculative fiction introduces an imagined element into a story, but the story is first and foremost about people. That's why I liked the story about people in a speculative setting best. The human element really struck a chord with everyone."

The jury assessed the projects and also gave the creators practical advice. Political consultant and psychologist Alyona Avgust noted that the Nepalese project showed how differently people can see the future depending on their historical and cultural starting point. The experts suggested that the creators of "Cyberfly" test audience interest by presenting the story as an online creepypasta.

After the pitching session, Mikhail Dobrykh admitted he had not expected to win. He stressed that the project's theme was especially relevant because the future is something to embrace and become part of, rather than fear.

Taking part in the pitching session gave the finalists an opportunity to promote their projects on major film platforms and streaming services. The session was open to directors, screenwriters and graduates of relevant higher education programmes aged 35 or under.

The pitching partners were the streaming services Wink, Okko and Ivi, the video hosting platform RUTUBE, National Media Group (NMG), the "Moviestart" production centre, the Gorky Film Studio for Children's and Youth Films JSC, ANO "National Priorities", the "RT Doc" television channel, the HSE University Institute of Cinema, the "Prosveshcheniye" Group, Moskino, Gazprom-Media Holding and Channel One JSC.

The III International Symposium "Inventing the Future" is being held on 12–13 November at the National Centre RUSSIA and brings together more than 8,000 participants from 109 countries. The event was organised on the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, under the auspices of the Decade of Science and Technology, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.