The first-time director stepped into the limelight in 2002, when his play ‘Plasticine’ was staged at London’s Royal Court Theatre and Sigarev took the Charles Wintour Prize for Most Promising Playwright. Since 2003, he has written 18 plays that have been staged at theaters in Russia and overseas. He’s transformed his play Wolfy, about mother-daughter relationships, into a film which has already taken the top award at the 2009 Kinotavr festival in Sochi in southern Russia.

Wolfy by Vasily Sigarev

Another cutting-edge Russian artist, Ivan Vyrypaev, will present his latest movie ‘Oxygen’ in the ‘Forum of Independents’ section.

Three Russian directors are also featured in the ‘East of the West’ program, showcasing films from the former communist bloc. One of them, Paper Soldier, is from Alexey German Jr, who was named Best Director at the Venice Film Festival last year.

One of the highlights of the Karlovy Vary fest is the world premiere of one of Russia’s most talked-about films, The Hipsters.

Last but not least, a special selection of films made by female Russian directors such as Vera Storozheva, Valeria Guy Germanika and Anna Melikyan will be screened at the Karlovy Vary fest, considered the most important international film festival in Central and Eastern Europe.