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The Prize for Contribution to World Cinematography will be presented at the 34th Message to Man IFF to the legendary director and cinematic visionary Artavazd Peleshyan, the film festival website revealed.

Film scholars have described Peleshyan as “the man who redefined the laws of cinema, an elemental force in filmmaking akin to Dziga Vertov and Sergei Eisenstein.”

Among his admirers were Francis Ford Coppola, Jean-Luc Godard, Godfrey Reggio, Andrei Ujică, singer Patti Smith, philosopher Paul Virilio, and photographer Raymond Depardon.

Peleshyan’s pioneering technique of “distance montage” is now taught in film schools worldwide. His cinematic “peace symphonies” have been showcased at prestigious cultural institutions, from New York’s MoMA to the festivals in Berlin and Venice.

The Prize for Contribution to World Cinematography will be awarded to Artavazd Peleshyan on October 26 at the Message to Man’s Award Ceremony.

The Festival is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, and the Committee for Culture of St. Petersburg.

Message to Man has long been inviting Artavazd Peleshyan to attend the Festival. This year, the master’s visit will finally become a reality.

On October 25, St. Petersburg’s Dom Kino will host a meeting with Artavazd Peleshyan and a screening of his classic films: Seasons of the Year (1975), Our Century (1982), and Life (1993).