The 4th International Documentary Film Festival "RT.Doc: Time of Our Heroes" concludes at the National Centre RUSSIA
The closing ceremony of the 4th International Documentary Film Festival "RT.Doc: The Time of Our Heroes" took place at the National Centre RUSSIA. It was attended by Russian and international film directors, cultural figures, heroes of the special military operation, war correspondents, and many others. The National Centre RUSSIA was the festival's general partner.
During the closing ceremony, Margarita Simonyan, Editor-in-Chief of the RT television channel, the Rossiya Segodnya media group and the Sputnik news agency, extended her congratulations to the attendees.
"Our dear defenders! All our hopes rest on you. You are bringing our victory closer. You are bringing an end to the suffering of many people, an end to the mockery of the Russian idea, of the Russian world, and of everything that led to this war. The way you sacrifice yourselves, how fearlessly you go into battle, how you liberate more and more territories, makes our hearts stop — hearts of all of us, and mine, personally. I wish each of you — those in the special military operation zone, and those here at home who defend us: police officers, Rosgvardiya (the National Guard of Russia) members, our valiant army and navy, people of different ranks — I wish you all possible help in what you do. May misfortunes, bullets, and drones fly past you! May you stay safe and sound, honest with yourselves and with the Motherland, and loved by your families and the people, just as we love and worry for you today. Greetings on 23 February!" said Margarita Simonyan.
"RT.Doc: Time of Our Heroes" is an international travelling audience documentary film festival. The programme of the festival included 38 films by renowned Russian and international authors from 15 countries: Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Venezuela, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. Foreign documentary filmmakers present in their works their own vision of the situation in the special military operation zone, as well as various events in their own countries, thus conveying the truth to the viewer. Visitors had a chance to see documentary films by domestic and international cinematographers, dedicated to the feats of the defenders of the Fatherland, the selfless work of war correspondents, volunteers, military doctors, and all those who have shown true patriotism.
"The three days of our festival have come to an end. During these days, we saw many documentary films about real, not fictional, heroes. Each defender deserves a film about them as well, each deserves to be the hero of their own film. Of course, we haven't managed to make a separate film about everyone yet, but we are trying as best as we can. You can see that by the scale of our festival. Along with Moscow, films about our heroes were also watched in 22 other countries these days. Our festival took place at Rossotrudnichestvo venues all over the world. And this year, even in Japan, a film about the heroes of the special military operation was shown. And, of course, Donetsk was among those watching these films. Screenings of our festival were also held there," noted Yekaterina Yakovleva, general producer of the "RT.Doc: Time of Our Heroes" festival.
The festival brought together heroes — participants in the special military operation, whose life stories formed the basis of several films presented at "RT.Doc: Time of Our Heroes". Their presence has symbolically connected the screen images with real people, emphasising the authenticity of the documentary films. Participants and guests observed a minute of silence in memory of fallen soldiers.
The closing ceremony featured the documentary performance "Fire of Faith" – about those who stood shoulder to shoulder defending the Motherland. Throughout history, Russia has been defended by warriors from different corners of the country – from the harsh north and the warm south – who always knew what true unity means. This was the central theme of the performance.
The festival concluded with a concert dedicated to Defender of the Fatherland Day. Its programme was divided into several parts, each dedicated to a specific theme. The celebratory part featured artists from different parts of Russia. Guests were entertained by the group "Zveroboy" performing the front-line music, the "Kostroma" ballet presenting the inspiring poetry of dance, and singer Tatyana Kurtukova performing her hits.
From 21 to 23 February, at the "RT.Doc: Time of Our Heroes" festival, guests had a chance to see premieres of documentary films and participate in roundtable discussions with experts. Also, the #LetterToAHero campaign continues at the National Centre RUSSIA. Until 31 May 2026, guests can send their wishes to the soldiers directly to the front line. Over the past few months, visitors and staff of the National Centre RUSSIA, participants in festival discussions, and concert audiences have written and sent over 4,500 letters to the front.
Event photobank
The film and television actress, TV producer, and cookbook author Maria Kravtsova congratulated men on Defender of the Fatherland Day.
