Convicts in Rostov region became prize-winners of an international cinema festival

Two documentaries devoted to the life of convicts in Rostov region became prize-winners of the First St. Petersburg international festival "Nadezhda" ("Hope"). The authors are convicts serving penalty in the colonies of the region.

A documentary by convict Svetlana Tsemokh "Behind the Barbed Wire" was awarded by the jury for the best film concept of motherhood in the colony. The author shows the life of two women serving penalty in colony No 18 of Azov one of whom gave birth to a child behind the barbed wire.

A film "25 Steps" by Andrey Kuryanov serving penalty in strict regime colony No 5 was highly estimated by the leading Russian producers and actors who were members of Organizing committee of the festival.

The author has formerly been a professional journalist. In his film he analyses the circumstances bringing people "behind the barbed wire" and their further fates. 25 steps is exactly the distance from wall to wall in the inner courtyard of the convicts' unit. The film shows how the prisoners "once come to review their lives".

Both documentaries were awarded diplomas of prize-winners of international cinema festival "Nadezhda" and valuable prizes: engraved watches, Rostov media "Panorama" reports.

Not only convicts from Russia but also from such countries as France, Poland, Slovenia, Holland, Sweden, Ukraine and Finland sent their works to the festival, "Province" reports.

Alexey Kozyrev, President of the festival, said during the reward ceremony that the most complex task was to select 35 films out of over 200 for the final. Such a great number of films created in prison annually appears thanks to the existence of 246 film studios within federal penitentiary system, "Fontanka.ru" reports.