My second film, “Gorbushka. The Heart of Russian Rock”, has picked up its first “modest little” awards at the Original+ Doc Festival:
🔶 The film received the following diplomas:
– For Concept — “Gorbushka. The Heart of Russian Rock” (Okko)
🔶 Special Prize from “RG-Media” — “Gorbushka. The Heart of Russian Rock”
🔶 Special Prize from the Media Jury — “Gorbushka. The Heart of Russian Rock” (Okko)
And this is only the beginning of the journey for this LEGENDARY three-part film!
Starting in September, I’ll begin sharing more about the project.
HOW, BY WHOM, AND HOW LONG was the film made?
WHEN, WHERE, AND WITH WHOM will you be able to watch it?
WHY should everyone see these films!?
✊✊✊ THE GRAND PREMIERE IS COMING! More details soon! ✊✊✊
❗️UPDATE: I did a little Googling… and HOLY SHIT, these awards are actually kind of a big deal. So let me explain — to you and to myself.
1. “For Concept” — a diploma from the Industry Jury!
The festival had a main Industry Jury — people who actually work in the film and television industry. In 2026, it was chaired by Oleg Volnov, Deputy General Director of Channel One for socio-political broadcasting. The jury also included director Sergey Sentsov, journalist and producer Sofiko Shevardnadze, screenwriter/creative producer/director Marusya Trubnikova, and actress-producer Ksenia Surkova.
And this jury specifically selected “Gorbushka” for its concept.
So, essentially, industry professionals said:
the idea, structure, and overall concept of the project are strong and stand out among the documentary projects in the competition.
2. The “RG-Media” Special Prize:
RG-Media is a media holding associated with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s major newspapers. Its media ecosystem also includes DOC.ru, a professional media outlet covering documentary film and television.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta has also traditionally been an information partner of ORIGINAL+DOC, with the festival naming it as its main information partner.
And in 2026, the “RG-Media” Special Prize went specifically to “Gorbushka. The Heart of Russian Rock.”
So this wasn’t simply a case of “the jury liked it.” It was a separate institutional award from a major media group that is also actively involved in professional coverage of documentary filmmaking
.
3. The Special Prize from the Media Jury:
ORIGINAL+DOC also has a separate Media Jury, independent from the Industry Jury. In 2026, it was chaired by Ekaterina Vizgalova, editor of Kino-Teatr.ru and editor-in-chief of RGDoc.ru, the media outlet of the Guild of Non-Fiction Film and Television.
The jury also included:
Anna Gogol — film journalist, critic, and editor at Kino Mail;
Ekaterina Vizgalova — Chair of the Jury;
and other representatives of the professional media community.
And this jury also awarded “Gorbushka” a Special Prize.
So, yeah…
Apparently, calling these my “first modest awards” was a little premature. 😄
🔶 The film received the following diplomas:
– For Concept — “Gorbushka. The Heart of Russian Rock” (Okko)
🔶 Special Prize from “RG-Media” — “Gorbushka. The Heart of Russian Rock”
🔶 Special Prize from the Media Jury — “Gorbushka. The Heart of Russian Rock” (Okko)
And this is only the beginning of the journey for this LEGENDARY three-part film!
Starting in September, I’ll begin sharing more about the project.
HOW, BY WHOM, AND HOW LONG was the film made?
WHEN, WHERE, AND WITH WHOM will you be able to watch it?
WHY should everyone see these films!?
✊✊✊ THE GRAND PREMIERE IS COMING! More details soon! ✊✊✊
❗️UPDATE: I did a little Googling… and HOLY SHIT, these awards are actually kind of a big deal. So let me explain — to you and to myself.
1. “For Concept” — a diploma from the Industry Jury!
The festival had a main Industry Jury — people who actually work in the film and television industry. In 2026, it was chaired by Oleg Volnov, Deputy General Director of Channel One for socio-political broadcasting. The jury also included director Sergey Sentsov, journalist and producer Sofiko Shevardnadze, screenwriter/creative producer/director Marusya Trubnikova, and actress-producer Ksenia Surkova.
And this jury specifically selected “Gorbushka” for its concept.
So, essentially, industry professionals said:
the idea, structure, and overall concept of the project are strong and stand out among the documentary projects in the competition.
2. The “RG-Media” Special Prize:
RG-Media is a media holding associated with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s major newspapers. Its media ecosystem also includes DOC.ru, a professional media outlet covering documentary film and television.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta has also traditionally been an information partner of ORIGINAL+DOC, with the festival naming it as its main information partner.
And in 2026, the “RG-Media” Special Prize went specifically to “Gorbushka. The Heart of Russian Rock.”
So this wasn’t simply a case of “the jury liked it.” It was a separate institutional award from a major media group that is also actively involved in professional coverage of documentary filmmaking
.
3. The Special Prize from the Media Jury:
ORIGINAL+DOC also has a separate Media Jury, independent from the Industry Jury. In 2026, it was chaired by Ekaterina Vizgalova, editor of Kino-Teatr.ru and editor-in-chief of RGDoc.ru, the media outlet of the Guild of Non-Fiction Film and Television.
The jury also included:
Anna Gogol — film journalist, critic, and editor at Kino Mail;
Ekaterina Vizgalova — Chair of the Jury;
and other representatives of the professional media community.
And this jury also awarded “Gorbushka” a Special Prize.
So, yeah…
Apparently, calling these my “first modest awards” was a little premature. 😄