Fifth International Festival "Cinema without Barriers" is over in Sochi

The resort city of Sochi has closed the Fifth International Festival "Cinema without Barriers", dedicated to life of people with disabilities. The jury marked a total of 13 films in different categories. Prizes were granted to filmmakers from Germany, USA, Sweden, Great Britain, France and Russia.

The Grand Prix was awarded to the film "...Nicka..." by Anna Belyankina, Special Jury's Prize - to the Israeli film "Who are you to me?", and the UN Prize - to the work of the Iranian filmmaker Naser Zamiri "Like fish in water".

Film director Andrei Eshpai, Chairman of the Jury, noted a very high level of the festival. "Very often in their works authors get beyond the problems of people with disabilities and refer to universal values," he said on October 18 at the closing ceremony.

"The films that I saw in Sochi," actress and a jury member Evgenia Simonova shared her impressions with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, "caused not the tears of pity but tears of delight and admiration."

The film "Being together" was marked by the jury as "the best publicist film," revealing the problems of people with disabilities. The film directed by Olga Arlauskas tells about the people who live active life, despite their disabilities, and put their dreams into reality: a wheelchair invalid is dancing, and a blind one is playing football.

The film "In the game line" by Zamir Gota received the Prize "For Civil Stand". This documentary tells about the footballer-amputees, who play for the national team of Russia. The actors of the film - two Chechens and two Russians - lost their legs in mine explosions in Chechnya. "We tried to show through people's stories that any peace is better than war", Mr Gota told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The festival programme included not only documentaries but also animated and feature films, made not only by professionals but also by people with disabilities.

No only film authors, but also heads of city and regional disability organizations from many Russian cities were invited to the festival.

This year, the International Film Festival on the life of people with disabilities "Cinema without Barriers" was for the first time held in Sochi on October 16-18 and was included in the Cinema Year within the Cultural Olympiad "Sochi-2014". The organizer of the festival was the Regional Public Organization of Disabled Persons (RPODP) "Perspective"; while the Organizing Committee of "Sochi-2014" acted as a partner.