Developing new universes of heroes to be discussed at the Symposium "Inventing the Future"

One of the talks at the International Symposium "Inventing the Future", which will be the first event of the National Centre RUSSIA, is going to touch upon developing a universe of heroes reflecting the challenges of our time.

Destructive behavioral factors and values are added to the images of heroes of Western multiverses. Russia, together with cooperation-oriented countries, is capable of creating the new universes of heroes. Representatives of government, business, and creative industries will explore this topic at the panel discussion "Universe of Heroes of a Multipolar World" at the Symposium on November 5.

Experts will prepare recommendations regarding development of heroes' images in the genre of science fiction, that is, a "portrait of a hero of a multipolar world" for practical use in the creative industry. The discussion is organized by the federal programme for media technologists "Workshop of New Media", which also deals with the questions of image of the future and science fiction.

"It's one thing to create a hero and hold the audience's attention for 1.5-2 hours or 8 episodes. Another thing is to create a world of heroes, and keep up project after project, year after year. An even more difficult task is to come up with a universe of heroes for a multipolar world that can create a platform for cultural dialogue, and help people, nations, and civilizations develop. This is based on the opportunity to reach an agreement, provide infrastructural conditions, and unite a significant number of persons for the long-term shaping a unified image of the future," said Mikhail Kanavtsev, session moderator, head of the New Media Workshop.

Ivan Didenko, actor, director, and author of the "Director's Review" project; Sarah Bils, co-founder of "DD Geopolitics", US geopolitical analyst; Mikhail Zvinchuk, military blogger, author of the Telegram channel "Rybar"; Aisen Nikolaev, head of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia); Wang Nuonuo (Zhu Yanqiao), Chinese science fiction writer, and others, are invited to share their thoughts on the role of heroes in the development of a multipolar world and in creation of the image of the future that should stem out of science. Participants of the World Youth Festival will join the conversation. The results of a survey among young people from different countries on the image of a modern hero will also be presented.

On July 1, 2024, President Vladimir Putin signed an order establishing the National Centre RUSSIA with the aim of preserving the legacy of the International RUSSIA EXPO, and showcasing the country's achievements on an ongoing basis.

On November 4-6, the International Symposium "Inventing the Future" will be held at the National Centre RUSSIA. The attendees will be scientists and researchers, futurologists and forecasters, science fiction writers, and government officials.

During the opening of the Symposium, an art display will start to operate. The display will support the idea of a dialogue about the future of the human-centered world. It will allow each visitor to realize the importance of a personal contribution to the future, and will bring a desire to become involved in its creation.