In 2026, the documentary film festival “Unknown Russia” will acquire international status for the first time. The festival will take place in Moscow from 19 to 26 March. Its aim is to foster a live dialogue between documentary filmmakers and society, to support authors in exchanging experience and in creating films that engage contemporary audiences.

Submissions will be accepted until 15 February. More than 350 works have already been received. The “Characters” nomination leads in the number of entries (over 100 films), while the “History” category and the new “Soul of Russia” nomination share second place (around 60 films each). Films are also presented in the categories “Rediscovering Russia”, “Ethnoculture”, popular science, and industrial and technological cinema.

Foreign authors of films about Russia, as well as directors whose works promote cultural dialogue between countries, are invited to participate in the festival. The submission campaign has already covered Venezuela, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Armenia, and Bangladesh. Russian geography is represented by more than 60 federal subjects – from Kaliningrad Region to Kamchatka Territory and Chukotka.

Photo: festival press service

In 2026, TV BRICS acts as the international information partner of the festival for the first time. Two films produced by the media network have been entered into the competition programme: "Uralian Anomaly" and “Partitura. Young Music of Russia”. The special screenings programme includes films by Argentine partners of TV BRICS: “My Brother Joaquin” (“Joaquín mi primon”) and “Trombonists” (“Tromboneros”).

The jury includes Indian director Upasana Mittal, CEO of Innovative Group, Artistic and Executive Director of the Innovative International Film Festival (IIFF) and the I-Film Festival. Her participation has been organised with the support of TV BRICS. At the festival, Mittal serves as an independent international expert. Ivan Zakharenko, Head of the Thematic Broadcasting and Special Media Projects Department at TV BRICS, has also been invited to join the jury.

“In 2026, ‘Unknown Russia’ is reaching a fundamentally new level. The festival is becoming international, which is why we are launching a partnership with the TV BRICS International Media Network, bringing together more than 100 leading media outlets from over 30 countries worldwide. This opens up unique opportunities for us not only to promote documentary cinema to the widest possible audience but also to advance authentic stories about people, regions and cultural diversity. We are confident that such a partnership will enable Russian authors to be heard far beyond the country’s borders and at the same time introduce domestic audiences to the strongest international documentary projects,” said Festival President Vyacheslav Goldfeld.

This year, the festival is also becoming an industry platform. The business programme will take place at the Moscow House of Books: participants will attend round tables with representatives of leading film institutions and discussions on documentary production and distribution, as well as sessions devoted to international cooperation.

The best films of “Unknown Russia” will be shown not only on the big screens of Moscow cinemas, but also on federal television channels and on TV BRICS.

The festival was first held in 2024. Over the previous two seasons, the organising committee received more than one thousand submissions, 76 of which were included in the competition.