"The Diamond Butterfly": Results of the First Open Eurasian Film Award

The idea for the new film award was first voiced about three years ago. The initiative came from film director and Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, Nikita Mikhalkov. During the award ceremony of the First Open Eurasian Film Award “Diamond Butterfly”, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a video message: “This bright and impressive project came to life largely thanks to the dedication, enthusiasm, and inspiration of Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov — his desire to create a creative space for professional and friendly communication among talented actors and directors, composers and screenwriters, cinematographers and artists from Russia and other countries. You are all united by a sincere love for your chosen craft, commitment to high humanistic ideals, enduring spiritual and moral values, respect for history, and for the unique culture of our nations. And, of course, a deep understanding of the unique role of cinema in people’s lives, in shaping their worldview, in educating the younger generation,” Putin noted in his address.

The award statuette “Diamond Butterfly” was created by artist Yuri Cooper. Each statuette is inlaid with five thousand specially grown diamonds. The award also has a substantial financial component: the best film receives the equivalent of one million dollars, while the other laureates receive the equivalent of 250 thousand dollars.

About 70 representatives from China, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Indonesia, Serbia, Turkmenistan, and South Africa arrived in Moscow for the first Open Eurasian Film Award ceremony “Diamond Butterfly”.

“Just six months ago we presented this new award of incredible beauty. And now we see representatives from 17 countries and 34 unique film works by outstanding masters who are with us today,” said Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova during the award ceremony of the first Open Eurasian Film Award “Diamond Butterfly”. “Cinema remains the most important of the arts. In this regard, we are confident that the Eurasian Film Academy and the Film Award will become a successful, independent infrastructure for mutual support, cooperation, and encouragement of filmmakers who uphold traditional moral values, respect, and preservation of cultural heritage.”

The head of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, director, and driving force behind the first Open Eurasian Film Award “Diamond Butterfly”, Nikita Mikhalkov, took the stage to present the key awards — “For Contribution to World Cinema” and “Best Film”.

“When cinema is simply a job for a filmmaker, that is fine. But only when cinema becomes one’s life does it truly turn into art and a real message. Contributions to cinema are measured differently: some judge them by box office results, some by awards, and others by the strength of talent, dedication, and absolute loyalty to one’s craft,” said Mikhalkov.

The special “Diamond Butterfly” for contribution to world cinema was awarded to Iranian director, screenwriter, and actor Majid Majidi, known for films such as “Children of Heaven”, “The Color of Paradise”, and “Muhammad: The Messenger of God”. “Iranian cinema has been greatly influenced by the works of Nikita Mikhalkov, Alexander Sokurov, and Andrei Tarkovsky,” said Majidi while receiving the award. “We love and know Russian cinema. I am sure that the Eurasian Film Award will open up new opportunities for filmmakers from different corners of the planet. The East is a great civilization that today has something to say on the world stage. I hope that this film award will help strengthen ties between Eurasian countries and their powerful voices. And I hope that cinema and art will help to strengthen peace on Earth,” Majidi emphasized.

The main “Diamond Butterfly” and the financial prize — a 10-carat investment diamond valued at one million dollars — went to China for the film “Against the Current” directed by Xu Zheng. The main acting awards were presented to Alexander Adabashyan and Svetlana Kryuchkova for their roles in Andrei Zaitsev’s film “Two in One Life, Except for the Dog”. “One of my favorite poets, Marina Tsvetaeva, regarded the butterfly as a deeply significant symbol, because in Greek mythology the butterfly embodies the human soul — Psyche,” said Svetlana Kryuchkova. “Tsvetaeva wrote: ‘In my veins flows not blood, but soul.’ And what do we actors do? We awaken human souls. The butterfly is the soul itself. I have many butterflies at home, so this award is especially meaningful to me.” “An ancient sage once said a wonderful phrase that became the motto of our new award: ‘Cruel truth without love is a lie,’” noted Nikita Mikhalkov, head of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia. “Under the wings of this butterfly, we want to begin uniting the world, the civilization, the peoples, the religions, the histories, and the cultures that respect their past, look to the future, and cherish all that God has given to each of our nations.”