"Heroes of the Great Country" film awards, which is to be held at the National Centre RUSSIA, announces its nominees

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55 projects have become nominees for the Third National Film Awards "Heroes of the Great Country". The official awards ceremony for the finalists will take place on 6 February 2026 at the National Centre RUSSIA. The jury will announce the winners in 19 industry and thematic categories, and the main award — the Big Golden Star — will traditionally go to the best film project.

The awards shortlist includes "I Am a Mother," "Lilies of the Valley. Such Tender Love," "On the Edge of the Abyss," "Catherine the Great," "Curious Barbara," "Wounded Belgorod," "Victory," "Warsaw 21," "Dear Willy," "In Love with Mathematics," and other projects selected from 532 feature, documentary, and animated films and series. Media holdings and leading film production companies, federal channels, online platforms, independent producers, and news agencies competed for the awards.

Experts evaluated the content and impact of the film works on audiences, as well as their contribution to the development of science, technology, industry, youth upbringing, and demography. The selection process took two stages. First, the focus was on "technical quality" — acting, direction, cinematography, sound, and the alignment of images and symbols with Russian culture. Then, the projects underwent evaluation against a comprehensive criterion of "17 Values — the Hero's Image." Now, the jury, comprising well-known and respected representatives of the film industry and content impact experts, will determine the winners across 20 categories.

"The film awards set a high bar, so very few of the 532 participants managed to fully meet the basic set of '17 Values' and create truly the images of 'heroes of the great country.' The 55 shortlisted projects came closest to this goal. And we see the mission of the film awards precisely in developing the dialogue about content, the quality of artistic form, and the influence of cinema on viewers and the country's development on a national scale. It is important for us to promote high quality and success, first and foremost, of those colleagues who did not reach the final. But only in this way can we revive the culture and competence of creating spiritually and morally significant content across the entire film industry, helping creators work with values consciously, not just intuitively," said Mikhail Churbanov, General Producer of the "Heroes of the Great Country" Film Awards.

Among the shortlisted projects is the series "Lilies of the Valley. Such Tender Love" — a story about a privileged girl, the daughter of a rich father, who returns to Russia from London and accidentally meets a young tank officer. The title "I Am a Mother" speaks for itself — it tells three stories of fulfilled, happy women with three, four, and seven children. The documentary tetralogy by Maxim Fadeyev, "On the Edge of the Abyss," is a poignant story about the defenders of Donbass and the assault on Mariupol, which gained popularity on Russian online platforms with high ratings and a vast number of viewers. The film "Not on the List," based on the story by Boris Vasilyev, is another attempt to comprehend the heroic deed of the defenders of the Brest Fortress. And "My Friend, the Cat, and Pushkin" and "Curious Barbara" are excellent examples of good cinema for children and teenagers, sincerely embraced and loved by young audiences.

"We see that for major film producers and large platforms, it is becoming essential to have projects in their portfolio that feature precise hero images, convey our traditional values, and talentedly present examples of service, responsibility, and professionalism. In line with the programme agreed with the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, these challenges will be the focus of the Film Awards Forum. Meanwhile, screenings of the shortlisted films for youth audiences and research into the films' influence on their views and life decisions will become grounds for broad discussion and professional dialogue about heroes and the meaning of cinema as one of the main tools shaping our today and our tomorrow," said Mikhail Churbanov."

The Film Awards are held with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. Co-organisers: the National Centre RUSSIA, "Strana" studio, "STRANA" Foundation for the Development of Culture and Cinematography, ANO "National Open Championship of Creative Competencies ArtMasters," "SCHASTYE" (Happiness) Production Centre, All-Russian Public Organisation "Union of Fathers.

Strategic partners: the "DNA of Russia" project, the New Media Workshop, leading media holdings, and online platforms. The Film Awards are being held with the assistance of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Defence of Russia, the Movement of the First, and Rossotrudnichestvo (Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation of the Russian Federation). The official partner is the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs (House of the Peoples of Russia).