Nikita Mikhalkov launches Summer Cinema Academy

On July 4th the Nikita Mikhalkov Summer Cinema Academy started for the third time. The event will last until August 3. Some 40 filmmakers from 14 countries of the world are expected to take part in the project. According to Mikhalkov, the project, which started as a very modest initiative, has become very popular. "What's the secret? The thing is that the event is organized by very talented and professional people, who hold seminars and master-classes. Students work together with different people, who belong to very different genres, who have different points of view," he said.

That is why Mikhalkov had the idea of establishing a year-long academy. Such an academy will work with professionals rather than students or entrants. "They will have a chance to improve their education. Actors and directors who have already got an education and live in different parts of the country will have a chance to breathe fresh air, to get away from their everyday routine. It's very important for those who live outside Moscow or St. Petersburg," Mikhalkov said. "The aim of the academy is to establish efficient teams rather than to educate certain actors. They don't have to have the same points of view or beliefs, they have to be professional," he explained.

The filmmaker also told Vestnik Kavkaza in an interview that the Caucasus is full of talented people. "I think the Caucasus can provide an infinite number of talented people. Speaking about the culture of the Caucasus in general, Georgian cinema, Armenian cinema, the traditions of the Caucasus, all of them deserve respect and attention. I should say that the Caucasus is a part of my life. I love Azerbaijan. I worked with Rustam Ibragimbekov, I knew Heydar Aliyev. I have a lot of Azerbaijani friends and Azerbaijan is precious to me," Mikhalkov said.

Another filmmaker, Alexander Abadashyan, stressed that in cinema everyone has to work as a team. "Cinema is work done all together. There are no individuals in filmmaking. If one is trying to express oneself, one should understand that it is only the final results that matter. Some people say that everyone can be a film director, if only it was not proved wrong. There were films that were shot with practically no director at all. When the script is written, when actors are wearing make-up, when the cameraman has found the right position, when the music is ready, the director can claim that his work is done and proudly show everyone his CD. And he will have the moral right to do so. That is why everyone should understand that it's the final result that matters," he said.