The festival like a bridge from heart to heart; 10 years passed, everything is still ahead

The Opening Ceremony of the 10th anniversary Film Festival “Pacific Meridian” was surprisingly heartfelt, absolutely sincere. All the speakers congratulated the festival on its first and, as they pointed, not the last anniversary. Everybody was saying that: festival’s guests, spectators and even official persons. And the master of ceremony – an actor Alexander Oleshko – set the tone of the entire event by saying:

- The festival has good reputation, and nowadays it is very rarely. It has a soul and we can feel it by every cell… When you see how many talented people have been here, you have nothing to experience but admiration and awe. The festival has become a bridge from heart to heart!

The organizers and the ceremony director gave a word to those who have been with the festival for 10 years and to those who became godparents and friends of the festival… And there is no need to retell these words, it is better to tell them in the way they sounded from the Big stage of the  cinema “Okean”.

Sergey Stepanchenko, the festival’s president:

- We have been preparing for this day for 10 years… Once, at the restaurant “Slaviansky bazar”, Stanislavsky and Nemirovish-Danchenko invented the theatre MHAT. I remember the day when Efim Zveniatsky, Larisa Belobrova and I were standing on the porch of the Taganka theatre and decided: let’s risk and make the festival, maybe it will exist. And it exists. And our baby is 10 years old!

Larisa Belobrova, the chairman of the festival’s organizing committee:

- We will hope that the festival will be growing and we will wish good luck and love to it and to everybody. Love, as I’m always saying, is the main motivator. If you love yourself, the place you live, you will do for this place all you best.

Kirill Razlogov, film critic:

-With special joy, I see 10 years after how the festival has grown, because I was at the head of its river and I helped it begin… I’m proud that the festival has grown and that it will undoubtedly go on. 

Gerild Moset, the member of the first jury of the “Pacific Meridian”:

- I am very happy to be again in Vladivostok! I want to say: Vladivostok has grown and changed so much! I decided to stay here for three months, live here every year, have a house, learn Russian! And the festival has changed so much, become so admirably beautiful! I want to be its guest for many years.

Artemy Troitsky, the musical critic:

- I went to the “Pacific Meridian” for the first time in 2008 and I like it so much that I decided to come here for the next five years. Why did I strive for it so much? Firstly, it is really a very qualitative festival; it is exactly here where I watched the best Russian movies that I hadn’t had time to watch in Moscow. Secondly, I love Vladivostok very much. You don’t understand in what a beautiful place you live. If  the architectural problem is solved, Vladivostok, believe me, can become one of the most beautiful places in the world: Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Venice… By the way, each of these cities has a festival. And the “Pacific Meridian” makes from people who live in Asia, in Europe patriots of Vladivostok!

The summit has recently passed but it is an event which is valid for one occasion. And the Film Festival passes every year; this is something which is called “sustainable development”. I’m for this development, for continuing of the festival, for many anniversaries and for growing of the big Vladivostok fans’ gathering.

Sara Hoch, the founder and the director of World Film Festival Expresión en Corto, Guanahuato (Mexico):

- I was at the festival five years ago and when I came here again, I didn’t recognize the city. It has changed so much and become so beautiful. And the festival has become so great, so bright! And I’m going to continue my collaboration with the festival.

Vitaly Mansky, the president of the festival “Artdokfest”:

- It is hard to imagine Vladivostok without the “Pacific Meridian”. There are many festivals and we always have to choose. But the fact that we always choose the “Pacific Meridian” is a sign of quality! And I call you to appreciate this quality, to support and continue because there are not so many qualitative festivals!

Daryl Hannah, an actress and the honorable guest of the festival:

- It is great honour for me to be in your city. And I dream already about coming here once again the next year and on the 20th anniversary. It’s a sincere festival, it’s going from soul and we can feel it. Next time I’m going here for an apartment!

Actually, every guest of the opening ceremony was talking about the desire to live here and come to the festival every year. It is not a surprise that the governor of Primorsky region Vladimir Miklushevsky promised to all the “signed up” to give an apartment. And then Vladimir Miklushevsky said quite seriously: 

- The APEC summit has just finished. There the leaders of 21 economics had discussed political and economic questions. But I’m sure that the basis of all the political and economic problems is cultural exchange, interpenetration. In this regard, the “Pacific Meridian” has great importance. Of course, we will continue it.

For the first time in the festival’s history, Vladimir Vladimirovich presented a prize “9288 km” immediately. It was given to one of the most precious guests of the “Pacific Meridian”  - the director Otar Ioseliani – with the wording “For honour and dignity”.

One more prize was presented by Sergey Stepanchenko and Larisa Belobrova. The special prize of the festival – the prize of acknowledgement and gratitude – was given to the honorary President of the Busan Festival Kim Dong-ho.

Having taken the unique white blue shell, Kim Dong-ho said: “The FilmFestival in Busan is one of the greatest in the world, it has been carried out for 17 years; it has discovered many talented directors. That’s why my prize is really for everybody who worked on creation of the festival in Busan.

The Vladivostok Festival is younger, but it has become one of the best, the most respectful festivals in the world. That’s why my prize is also for everybody who works on creation of the “Pacific Meridian”. I’m not for the first time in Vladivostok and I saw all the creators working hard and how the festival has grown. I’m very happy for that. I believe that it will become one of the greatest festivals in the world!”

Mr Kim is a wise person, and we can believe his predictions!