The 47th Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF), one of the oldest cinematic celebrations in the world, opened its curtains this Thursday to a wide spectrum of stories – from the sober echoes of war to hilariously unhinged sci-fi satire. First held in 1935 and established as a biennial event in 1959 before becoming an annual festival in 1999, MIFF continues to evolve while keeping its deep Soviet and Russian cinematic roots intact. This year, the festival presents not only feature films and documentaries but also welcomes television series and experimental entries, making it one of the most eclectic festivals on the global circuit.

A Festival Framed by Memory and Dreams

As Russia commemorates 80 years since the victory over Nazi Germany, MIFF’s organizers set the tone for the festival with a film deeply embedded in wartime memory. His Name Was Not Listed, a long-overdue adaptation of Boris Vasilyev’s novella, took center stage as the opening film. Vasilyev’s work has long been cherished in Russia, with novels like And the Dawns Here Are Quiet and Tomorrow Was the War standing as canonical portrayals of Soviet heroism and tragedy. However, this particular novella, despite being staged in the iconic Lenkom Theatre and adapted for television, had never made it to the big screen-until now.

The film follows young Lieutenant Kolya Pluzhnikov as he arrives at Brest Fortress on June 21, 1941 – the eve of Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union. He’s full of hope, unaware that the next dawn will shatter everything. When bombs rain down the following morning, Kolya’s struggle becomes a symbol of resistance against overwhelming odds, painting a deeply human portrait of war and sacrifice.

The closing film of MIFF provides a tonal counterpoint to its somber opening. Alejandro Agresti’s What We Wanted to Be, a romantic melodrama from Argentina, is a poetic meditation on what-ifs and missed........

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