Olga Lyubimova: "The INtonations Festival has become the main industrial platform for those who work with sound"

The grand opening of the IX International Film Festival of Student Works of Sound Engineers "INtonations" took place at the Saint Petersburg State University of Film and Television. More than 500 applications from 22 countries were submitted to the Festival, 69 works are included in the competition program.

Every year the "INtonations" Festival brings together young sound engineers, experienced mentors and colleagues from related industries from all over the world. According to the organizers, today the festival has become an expected annual event not only for students from our country, but also brought together participants from other countries.  

The Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova sent a welcome letter to the participants and organizers of the Festival:

"I am sincerely glad to welcome you! This is the only festival not only in Russia, but also in the whole world dedicated to the issues of professional work with sound. Today we see an incredible growth of youth creativity in the audiovisual environment. The "INtonations" Festival has rightfully become the main industrial platform for those who work with sound."

The bar for the level of works is raised annually. For the second year in a row, the Festival receives the support of the Ministry of Culture and arouses genuine interest in the professional environment. Alexander Babayan, acting Rector of SPUFT, addressed the participants and guests with a welcoming speech:

"The Festival is a unique platform for the exchange of experience of young professionals. Without the participation of sound engineers, the existence of not only television and cinema, but also the entire modern media industry is unthinkable. This year, the "INtonations" broke all the records of previous years in terms of the number of applications sent for participation. I am sure that with every year it will become brighter, bigger and louder."

The contestants will compete for awards in the following categories: "Best work of a sound engineer in a feature film", "Best work of a sound engineer in a non-fiction film", "Best work of a sound engineer in an animated film", "Best sound engineering debut", "Audience Award" and "Grand Prix" – awarded to the director and sound engineer of the film. 

Dean of the Faculty of Screen Arts Pavel Danilov noted that every time he sees the names of our students and graduates in the credits of modern films more and more often:

"Dear friends, I join the congratulations! I want to note that the creation of any film is a time–consuming and collective work that requires a team. Guys unite in groups, they are driven by the desire to create, so the result is deep, interesting and well-made works. I would like to wish all the participants good luck! May the strongest win."

The jury of the festival included: Victor Morse, sound engineer of more than 50 feature, documentary and animated films; Dmitry Nazarov, sound engineer of the Bremen Town Musicians, The Tailor from Brooklyn and many others; Marcus Krohn, sound engineer, member of the European Film Academy; Larisa Sadilova, director and producer.

Victor Morse spoke about the importance of students' participation in professional skill reviews:

"Here, the atmosphere itself can prompt young sound engineers with ideas and directions in their works. Communication experience is very important."

Although the "INtonations" is a fairly large International festival, it is filled with a cozy chamber atmosphere. The opening ceremony was completed with a screening of the film "Exit", which is nominated for Oscar, and a meeting with the film's sound engineer Anastasia Frolova.