Natalia, a nun from a remote Russian monastery, comes to Moscow 17 years after the terrorist attack in Dubrovka Theatre. She was sent there to organise a memorial evening for the victims of the attack that happened in October 2002. We soon learn that Natalia and her family were witnesses of the attack. Almost forgotten now by the outside world, the organisers and participants of the memorial evening or the Conference (as they were asked to call it officially) are made to feel like a burden by the rest of the society. Following the chronology of the events as told by a few participants in the memorial evening we learn the dark details of Natalia’s personal story.

Direction: Ivan Tverdovskiy

Script: Ivan Tverdovskiy

Production: Katerina Mikhaylova

Co-Production: Konstantin Fam, Egor Odintsov

Cinematography: Fedor Glazachev

Editing: Ivan Tverdovskiy

Production Design: Vanya Bouden

Costume Design: Lena Litvinuk

Make-Up: Anastasiya Haretdinova

Sound: Horret Kuus

Original Score: Sten Sheripov

Visual Effects: Hendrik Proosa, Jan Viljus

Cast: Natalya Pavlenkova, Ksenia Zueva, Olga Lapshina, Aleksandr Semchev

Original Title: KONFERENTSIYA

Original Language: Russian

Film Production Countries: Russia, Estonia, United Kingdom, Italy

Website: www.reason8films.com/conference/

Statement of the Director/s
CONFERENCE is the story of one fragile family against the backdrop of one of the major tragedies of the 21st century in Russian history. The film is an attempt to create a cinematic reflection of the tragic events that begins as a private family story but goes beyond that. Exploring the nature of fear is my main focus in the film. The protagonist, Natasha, seems to take the participants of the memorial evening hostages, again, in order to remember and re-live in detail that terrible moment of her life.
Will she, and will we, overcome fear and find a way to move on?

Biography of the Director/s
Ivan I. Tverdovskiy is a Russian writer/director who was born in Moscow on 29 December 1988 and graduated from the State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK, Moscow), workshop by Alexei Uchitel. CONFERENCE is his fourth film.

Filmography of the Director/s
2021 CONFERENCE
2018 JUMPMAN
2016 ZOOLOGY
2014 CORRECTION CLASS

Awards Won
Kinotavr Sochi Open Russian FF 2020: Best Screenplay
Riga IFF 2020: Best Film
Cottbus 2020: Best Film
New Waves Award - Seville, 2020
Best Director, Best Actress - Cairo IFF, 2020

Production Company:
Vega Film
Katerina Mikhaylova
Moscow
Moscow, 123557, Russia
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +44 791 46 21 232

REASON8 Films
Denis Krupnov
Suite 482, 19-21 Crawford Street
London, W1H 1PJ, United Kingdom
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +44 791 46 21 232

NAFTA
Ilya Medovyy
Soo 4
Tallinn, 1234, Estonia
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +372 683 66 60

World Sales:
REASON8 Films
Anna Krupnova
Suite 482, 19-21 Crawford street
London, W1H 1PJ, United Kingdom
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +44 791 46 21 232

Press:
Lucius Barre
Lucius Barre
New York
New York, 123456, United States of America
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: *44 791 46 21 232