A meet-the-artist event with renowned Russian director, actor, and public figure Nikita Mikhalkov was held at South Ural State University. The event gathered a full house of students, teachers, and Chelyabinsk residents who came to meet the master of cinema in person. The Chelyabinsk Region Governor Alexey Texler and State Duma deputies Yana Lantratova and Aleksandr Babakov also were among the guests of honour.
Alexey Texler was the first to greet the gathered guests:
"I'm delighted that we have this opportunity to speak with such an outstanding figure, a great director, a classic of Russian and world cinema. Today, we know Nikita Mikhalkov as a wise man who hosts programs where we all seek answers to the most difficult questions. Thank you very much to him for his attention to our region. We hope that such meetings in the South Ural region will become a good tradition."
Nikita Mikhalkov, special guest of the meeting, is a Hero of Labour of Russia, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, director, artistic director of Workshop 12, and author and host of the "BesogonTV" program. He came to share his thoughts and reflections and he believes that such meetings allow us to experience the time, space, and people around us, and to understand what truly is of interest of them. The questions asked by the audience can be complex and profound—and this is valuable, while the opportunity for interaction is inspiring: when you answer a specific question, there is always hope that what you say is also truly important to the listener.
The film director spoke about his work on his most significant films, shared memories of the beginning of his career, and reflected on the role of cinema in shaping society's worldview. He also showed short videos from his films, vividly revealing insights into the secrets of on-set life through engaging stories that were warmly greeted with bursts of laughter and applause.
At the end of the evening, the audience, most of whom were SUSU students, asked Nikita Mikhalkov questions. Young people were interested in the stages of the Master's creative journey, his views on art and contemporary cinema. And, of course, they expressed gratitude for the engaging conversation and creative work.
Nikita Mikhalkov and Alexey Texler held a short press briefing. The film director admitted that he really liked the Chelyabinsk Region and that he would film some scenes from his films in the South Ural region. The Governor, in turn, once again approached Nikita Mikhalkov with a proposal to make meetings with Chelyabinsk residents in this format a tradition.