The Golden Unicorn Awards are a set of awards for artistic excellence in film which recognises achievements of Russian cinematography and international film-makers creating Russian-themed films. The awards were established by Filip Perkon in 2016 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The ceremony takes places annually, following Russian Film Week. The mission of The Golden Unicorn Awards is to bring contemporary Russian cinematography and modern Russian culture to the attention of a wider international audience. The awards also aim to improve European-Russian cultural exchange, encouraging distribution of Russian films abroad and motivating international filmmakers to produce films about Russia by introducing them to the Russian audience. The Golden Unicorn Statuette

Filip Perkon the founder of The GUA and RFW

Eligibility

Feature-length, animation, short and documentary films should be produced in Russia and released 18 months prior to the start of Russian Film Week. International films do not have to be produced in Russia but have to be Russian-themed. The film producers have to submit the films electronically or in DCP format with English subtitles through the Russian Film Week or the Golden Unicorn Awards FilmFreeway portal no later than November 1 of the relevant year.

Nomination committee

The nomination committee review the submissions and select the films for consideration of the jury. The nomination committee is independent from the jury. The nomination committee in 2018: * Valeri Jerlitsyn * Olga Miloshunas * Anna Shalashina

Jury

The independent jury consists of film industry professionals, such as filmmakers, critics, actors, professors, and producers. The jury in 2018: * Brian Cox – Actor, known for his appearance in

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'', '' Rise of the Planet of the Apes'', ''Troy'',

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

nominated, Scottish BAFTA nominated, winner of

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for Outstanding Supporting Actor * Olga Kurylenko – Actress, known for her appearance in '' Paris, le t'aims'', ''

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'' * Andrew Jack – Moscow correspondent from 1990 and bureau chief at the ''

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'' 1998–2004, chairman of Pushkin house 2010–2016 * Stuart Brown –

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

's Head of Programme & Acquisitions * Nancy Condee – Professor of film at

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

, served as a juror at the Kinotavr Film Festival * David P. Kelly – Executive film producer, BAFTA voting member, member of the European Film Academy * Adam Freudenheim – Publisher and Managing Director at

Pushkin Press Pushkin Press is a British-based publishing house dedicated to publishing novels, essays, memoirs and children's books. The London-based company was founded in 1997 and is notable for publishing authors such as Stefan Zweig, Marcel Aymé, Anta ...

* Debbie McWilliams – International Casting Director, has cast 13

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films, '' Angels and Demons'', ''Centurion'', ''the Silent Storm'' and others. She is a member of the Casting Directors Guild, the Academy of Motion Pictures and a chairperson of the International Casting Directors Network * Carola Ash – Creative producer, Director of Europe at

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

The jury in 2017: * Brian Cox – Actor, known for his appearance in

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'', ''The Bourne Identity'', ''The Bourne Supremacy'', '' Rise of the Planet of the Apes'', ''Troy'',

nominated, Scottish BAFTA nominated, winner of

for Outstanding Supporting Actor * Andrew Jack – Moscow correspondent from 1990 and bureau chief at the ''

'' 1998–2004, chairman of Pushkin house 2010–2016 * Stuart Brown –

's Head of Programme & Acquisitions * Nancy Condee – Professor of Film at

, served as a juror at the Kinotavr Film Festival * David P. Kelly – Executive film producer, BAFTA voting member, member of the European Film Academy * Michael Bird – the British Council's Director Russia * Peter Bradshaw – Writer and chief film critic for ''The Guardian'', contributor to

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– Film producer, founder of the Raindance Film Festival and the British Independent Film Awards * Anna MacDonald – Co-founder and principal of the

London Film Academy The London Film Academy (LFA) is a UK film school situated in Fulham, London. Founded in 2001, the LFA offers undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses, providing practical training across all key filmmaking disciplines. History Based withi ...

Ceremony

The ceremony takes place every year in a form of a charitable gala following the Russian Film Week. The Golden Unicorn Awards collaborated with the

Naked Heart Foundation The Naked Heart Foundation is a charity that provides children in Russia with families and safe and stimulating playspaces. It does this through creating safe and inspiring play facilities in impoverished areas, supporting foster families and fam ...

to fundraise GBP 160,000 during the Russian Film Week and the main ceremony in 2018. The awards also raised GBP 85,000 for the

Gift of Life Podari Zhizn (russian: Подари жизнь) is a countrywide Russian non-governmental charitable organization founded in 2006 by actresses Dina Korzun and Chulpan Khamatova. It has sister charities in the United Kingdom (Gift of Life) and ...

Charity in 2016.

Golden unicorn symbol

The symbol of the golden

unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...

was chosen as a common notion for the Russian and British nations. The golden unicorn was depicted on the Russian Coat of Arms along with St. George in 16th-century Russia. The golden unicorn is also one of the symbols of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

Nominations

The Golden Unicorn is awarded for the following categories: * Best Feature Film * Best Screenplay * Best Actor * Best Actress * Best Short Film * Best Documentary * Best Animated Film * Best Foreign Film with a Russian connection Special awards: * Best Contribution to Promoting Russian Culture Abroad * Best Emerging Talent * General Producer's Award

Winners

References

{{Reflist British film awards