Sergei Lukyanenko shared his impressions of the "Dreams of the Future" video essay contest at the National Centre RUSSIA
The works
of science fiction writer Sergei Lukyanenko were among the most frequently
quoted by participants of the All-Russian video essay contest "Dreams of
the Future." Ahead of the awards ceremony, which will take place on June 1
at the National Centre RUSSIA, the author shared his impressions after watching
the contest entries inspired by his books.
"It
was interesting to see how the participants reinterpret my books, as every
reader always finds something personal in any piece of writing. I often say
that a book is a dialogue between the writer and the reader. And even though
that dialogue is, in a sense, silent, all the thoughts the author embeds in the
text spark a reaction, a debate, a response. That, in fact, is the main appeal
of reading. Because cinema and video games affect all the senses and leave no
time for reflection. Whereas reading is a process in which people train their
minds — which is especially important when you're young," said Sergei
Lukyanenko.
The writer
also noted that the contest received many compelling entries and could well
become a good tradition.
"Young
people enjoy filming videos and trying themselves as vloggers or storytellers.
I think this also drew their interest to the theme of the future and science
fiction. There were interesting stories, attempts to understand and reinterpret
classic sci-fi works in a modern context, and even entries that were notable in
terms of acting. I think this is a promising start, and this tradition is worth
continuing. After all, building the future is a living process in which
everyone takes part," said Sergei Lukyanenko.
The contest
"Dreams of the Future" gathered 4,000 participants. It was held in
two age categories: 14–16 and 17–18 years old. Schoolchildren and students from
all 89 regions of Russia took part in the creative contest. An expert jury
selected 20 finalist teams — 10 in each category. The finalists include
representatives of all federal districts. The works were assessed by leading
authors and professionals in the field of science fiction, including writers
from the Eksmo-AST publishing group.
The
initiative aims to inspire young people to reflect on the future and to
introduce them to the works of science fiction writers. The task for the
participants was to create a video essay beginning with the words: "We
want to create a future where..." and to include a mandatory reference to
a science fiction work from a recommended list. The list was specially compiled
for the contest by the Russian State Library for Young Adults and the Council
on Science Fiction and Adventure Literature of the Union of Writers of Russia,
with the participation of the Eksmo-AST publishing group.
The
All-Russian video essay contest is held as part of the Decade of Science and
Technology with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of
the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation,
the Movement of the First, the Coordinating Council for Youth Affairs in the
Scientific and Educational Spheres under the Presidential Council for Science
and Education of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Library for Young
Adults, the Council on Science Fiction and Adventure Literature of the Union of
Writers of Russia, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), the ANO
"ArtMasters," the ANO "Russia – Land of Opportunity," and
the All-Russian Festival "NAUKA 0+," the ANO "Innovative Centre
for the Development and Upbringing of Children and Youth," the Startup
Village technological conference, and the National Cyber-Physical Platform
"Berloga."
As part of
the contest, the National Centre RUSSIA prepared a series of practical
workshops where registered participants could go through the entire process of
creating a video — from developing an idea to final editing. Since May 1, these
sessions have been available to everyone in a special section of the website
dream.russia.ru.
