Independent film festival 2morrow opens in Moscow today

One of Russia’s leading independent film festivals, 2morrow, opens today at the Moscow Museum featuring a selection of films screened at festivals including Cannes, Venice, San Sebastian and Toronto.

The festival opens with A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence from Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson, which won the Golden Lion for best film at the Venice Film Festival in 2014. The lineup also includes Miracles, the second picture from Italian director Alice Rohrwacher, which won a number of awards at international film festivals including the Grand Prix at Cannes.

Despite its popularity, 2morrow film festival has faced controversial funding constraints that have threatened its continuation. In August last year, organisers of the festival appealed to the international film community for financial support after the festival’s usual sponsors — the Ministry of Culture and the Moscow Department of Culture — had refused funding. However, the Ministry of Culture later restored funding to the festival in December in a surprising u-turn.

2morrow festival will run until 25 January.