Dear Friends! I sincerely welcome the organizers, participants and guests of the VIII Open St. Petersburg Student Film Festival «Beginning»! St. Petersburg is looking to support bright, interesting, creative ideas and initiatives of youth. Beginning Film Festival presents us the latest development trends in student cinematography. Festival is holding a specific place in Russian cinema shows. Despite that the festival is young, it has a rich history, its geography has been broadening year by year and the festival becomes a momentous international event. Beginning proves that young Russian cinematography is competent. Selected films show us thoughtful, diligent and enthusiastic work of the directors. I would like to wish the organizers of the festival new creative ideas, inspiration and the best of luck to the participants and bright impressions to the guests of the festival. A.N. Gubankov Chairman of the Committee of Culture of St. Petersburg Government

To the participants of the VIII Open Saint Petersburg Student Film Festival «Beginning» I’m happy to welcome all participants of the Festival. I hope that it would be very hard to choose the best work from the films selected for a competition program for a Jury. Your professional achievements today will develop the cinema art in the future. I believe that the cinematography will proceed more quickly thanks to you! Good Luck! Dmitry Meskhiev Chairman of Saint Petersburg Filmmaker's Union Honorable Art Worker of the Russian Federation Film director

I’m very glad to welcome all participants and guests of Beginning Film Festival! This is for the eighth time when the festival gathers students from all over the world. Together we will watch the films and have a try to understand each other and become closer. This is one of the goals of our cinema feast. There will be winners, but surely will be no losers. I wish all participants successful projects, health and happiness! Evgeny Tatarsky General Director of the festival National Artist of Russia Film director

Consulate General of Great Britain in St.Petersburg Dear Friends! On behalf of Consulate General of Great Britain I would like to welcome all participants, guests and organizers of VIII Open Saint Petersburg Student Film Festival “Beginning”. This event offers a great opportunity for the citizens and the guests of the city to get acquainted to creative works of young filmmakers from different countries and a chance for the participants to communicate with each other and share their experience and ideas. This festival encourages the cultural interchange between different countries. And I’m glad that student works from Royal College of Art, London and from the University for creative arts at Farnham will be presented at the festival. I wish all participants good luck and success and bright impressions for a viewer! Mr. William Elliott Consul General of Great Britain in St. Petersburg

Consulate General of the Czech Republic in St.Petersburg Dear Friends! I would like to sincerely welcome all participants of VIII Open Student Film Festival Beginning. Let this “new cinema wave” show become a happy beginning of the professional acknowledgment and successful creative development for many young people. I wish all participants and organizers of the festival success and I wish a viewer the unforgettable impressions! Best wishes, Lubor Bartos Consul General of the Czech Republic in St. Petersburg

Consulate General of Sweden in St.Petersburg Dear cineasts! I’m glad that the opening day of the annual international film festival Beginning is very close. As in earlier years, there will be a Swedish presence for which we of course are very happy. At the festival we will see the works of young directors who are still in the beginnings of their creative journeys. It is very good that they are provided with the opportunity to reach new audiences and stimulate contacts and dialogue between cultures. I would like to wish the organizers and visitors of the festival all the best and long lasting impressions. Kasper Andersson Consul General of Sweden in St.Petersburg

Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in St.Petersburg Dear Friends! On behalf of Consulate General I sincerely greet all participants and guests of this wonderful Festival! This year viewers will have an opprotunity to get aquainted to the creative works of young filmmakers from one of the best European film schools — Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School, Lodz. After graduating from this film school many people became famous. Among them such directors as Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polanski, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Jerzy Skolimowski, Krzysztof Zanussi and many others, who formed a “polish school” in the world cinematography. I hope that Polish students, participants of this festival will show us their decent artistic gift. I wish all participants good luck and good time for a viewer! Cezary Karpinski I councillor, Head of the Department of Culture, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in St.Petersburg

The Goethe-Institute in St. Petersburg Dear participants and organizers of the Film Festival “Beginning”! The Goethe-Institut in St. Petersburg maximizes the cultural programs in the field of cinematography. We pay a special attention in our work to the presentation of the young German cinema and we initiate a dialogue between young Russian and German filmmakers. Since 2004 each December we’ve been holding the Festival of German Cinema in St. Petersburg with the presentation of the most recent successful and interesting German films. It’s a common thing to see there the debut works of the authors who just finished their studies. An integral part of this December festival is the program “Next Generation” - short films made by students from German film schools. The festival is a traditional meeting place for our guests, German directors, actors, scriptwriters and students from St. Petersburg. For some years the Goethe-Institut in cooperation with “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” Foundation has been holding the international competitions of short films, which participants are young St. Petersburg filmmakers as well. This year students from St. Petersburg State University of Cinema and Television won the second prize in the competition “Crossing Boundaries”. We are happy to welcome Beginning Film Festival, which became a traditional place for screening student films from the leading German film schools. In the year 2007 the Goethe-Institut presented short films made by students from two main Hamburg film schools, Hamburg Media School and Hamburg State University of Visual Arts in special festival programs. This year students from Baden-Wuerttemberg Film Academy, Berlin Film and Television Academy, The University of Television and Film, Munich, and many others submitted their films to the festival. We are very glad that year by year this event becomes more important and famous in Germany. By sharing experiences students will be able to improve their skills and it will help to boost German cinematography in Russia and Russian cinematography in Germany. The team of the Goethe-Institut wishes guests and participants of the festival to get many interesting impressions! We hope that this year students from German film schools will present decent works to the attention of the competent jury of the Festival Beginning! Dr. Ralf Eppeneder Director of the Goethe-Institute in St. Petersburg

Italian Cultural Institute in St. Petersburg On behalf of Italian Cultural Institute in St. Petersburg I would like to say that the cooperation with VIII Open St. Petersburg Student Film Festival Beginning, organized by St. Petersburg Filmmaker’s Union became for us very important and interesting. The festival’s name is meaningful. This is a beginning of a carrier, a debut for young filmmakers from different film schools and different countries. So all participants are in the beginning of their cinema carrier. Their talents and abilities are different. But all of them are eager to study, to participate in any projects, to meet with each other and to share their experiences during the master-classes. And they are proud to shoot films, even if it is a low-budget project, but shot with the use of all available modern techniques. We consider the fact that the festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and St. Petersburg Government being very important. It underlines the significance of the cinema for society and works of young filmmakers, who introduce us new themes and art forms in cinema. Giorgio Mattioli Cultural Attache, Director of Italian Cultural Institute in St. Petersburg

The Finnish Institute in St.Petersburg Dear Friends! On behalf of the Finnish Institute in St. Petersburg and on my own I greet all guests, participants and organizers of VIII Open Student Film Festival Beginning. We believe that this festival is very important because it helps young people to make their first steps on the way to their profession. Also it’s a great opportunity to get closer to the art of cinema. It is mostly pleasantly that there are five student works from three Finnish film schools presented at the festival this year. Mira Pitkanen Director of the Finnish Institute in St. Petersburg

The trade union in Small and Medium Enterprise in St.Petersburg and Leningrad region “Edinenie” Dear Friends! On behalf of business trade union officials I would like to welcome all participants of VIII Open St.Petersburg Film Festival Beginning. The trade union has been supporting all creative initiatives especially when it comes from youth. This is the beginning of your professional development, originality and security. You are young hopefuls and we believe that you would not lose your gift. I wish all young people to be honest, not to compromise with your conscience in order to have money and glory and, please, remember that the future belongs to you. I would like to thank the organizers and the participants of the festival. My dear friends, I wish you new victories and good luck! Vadim Sukach Chairman of the trade union in Small and Medium Enterprise in St.Petersburg and Leningrad region “Edinenie”