The message reads, in part:
“Annually, this prestigious arts event brings together the brightest names in Russian and world cinema, having deservedly won great popularity among audiences. Laureates over the years have included Sergei Gerasimov, Akira Kurosawa, Federico Fellini, Andrzej Wajda, and other well-known directors.
This year, as we celebrate the 65th anniversary of victory, the festival will present to the public a retrospective of films dedicated to World War II. In this idea the organisers underscore the festival’s special humanist mission of helping bring the peoples of the world closer together and promote common human values.”