SPUFT welcomed a representative of the Zimbabwean delegation

On 29 July, Natalia Gorina, Head of the Department of Film and Television Production, held a meeting with Evelyn Mutsvanvgwa, Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation of the Republic of Zimbabwe, who was the representative of the official Zimbabwean delegation at the Second Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum held in St. Petersburg on 27-28 July 2023.

Evelyn Mutsvangwa visited SPUFT to learn about the best educational practices in the field of culture. The meeting took place following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of culture between the Ministry of Culture of Russia and the relevant department of Zimbabwe. The meeting began with a tour of the University's building.
Vice-rector for educational work and artistic and creative activities Oksana Laricheva told the guest the history of the unique mosaic icon ‘Jesus Blessing the Adolescents’ located on the facade. The masterpiece was discovered under a layer of plaster during the restoration in 2014. The panel was considered lost for about a hundred years. It was restored and consecrated in 2015. Today SPUFT is the only university in the country, on the facade of which you can see an outstanding work of mosaic art.

The tour continued in the lobby of the university, where Evelyn Mutsvangwa enquired about this year's admission campaign. She was told about the interim results, the procedure for submitting documents, including electronically through the portal "Gosuslugi", about popular and in-demand creative professions.
After that the guest visited the training theatre of the institute – ‘Po Pravde’. It was opened in 2022 so that future professional theatre and cinema actors could hone their skills in the best conditions.
After the tour, the official part of the meeting took place. Natalia Gorina discussed the possibility of organising a tour of Zimbabwean locations for Russian filmmakers and students of SPUFT. Perhaps the hot country and its picturesque views will inspire masters and students, and they will shot excellent shots for Russian films in Zimbabwe.

The guest also learnt about the prospects for students from Zimbabwe to study at SPUFT. Creative professions are not yet popular in the African country for various reasons. The meeting participants discussed the problem of Zimbabwean society's perception of the creative industries. Perhaps training students from Zimbabwe in SPUFT will change the situation and raise the prestige of professions related to film production in the eyes of the public in the country.
Evelyn Mutsvangwa enquired about the material equipment of the University. The technical base is constantly updated and replenished. Among other things, new opportunities for students and all comers appeared with the opening of the Prototyping Centre, which works in two areas: modern media; restoration and scanning of film and photo documents.

The guest was pleased to learn about the creative side of the University's life, that students and teachers actively participate in various cultural events, including those organised on the basis of the University. A big cultural event is coming soon – this autumn the famous annual International Student Film Festival "PiterKiT" will take place. 

Evelyn Mutsvangwa expressed interest in the visit of representatives of the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation of the Republic of Zimbabwe to the PiterKiT festival to get acquainted with the practice of such large-scale events.  The participants of the meeting agreed to continue co-operation.