The 35th Message to Man International Film Festival opens on 17 October. This year’s competition programmes feature 82 films, while 96 more will be presented across 11 special sections, exploring wide-ranging phenomena of global and Russian cultural landscapes—from new French cinema and St. Petersburg’s 1990s film culture to the grotesque and highlights from the world’s leading festivals. The Festival’s extensive parallel programme will introduce guests to the diversity of societal trends shaping contemporary filmmaking.